Fruit Tart

I have always loved fruit tarts! A fruit tart is a really balanced dessert, featuring a sweet cookie-like crust, a vanilla custard, and succulent fresh fruit. And it must be healthy....it's covered in fruit, and fruit is healthy! (I am going to continue telling myself this!)

I decided to make this after seeing it in a baking cookbook I own. I made it for Heba, my coworker's birthday. I work in an elementary school, and for each teacher's birthday we all do something special to celebrate. So in honor of our preschool teacher, I made this tart.

It may seem like a lot of steps, but just give yourself some time and take it slow =)

I began by making the pastry crust. Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Then sift together 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. You sift flour to put air into it and to remove any lumps. This makes your baked goods lighter and fluffier. Once you have sifted these together, set the bowl aside.

 In a different bowl beat together a 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (which is 1 whole stick) and 1/4 of a cup of sugar. I used a hand mixer to do this. You should mix until it becomes fluffy.

 Then add 1 beaten egg to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix this only until combined. 

Now add the flour you have already sifted to the egg, butter, and sugar mixture. Work to combine this until it forms a ball. Be careful not to over mix!

Flatten your dough ball into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes, take it out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface. Rotate and flip every now and then to prevent it from sticking. When you roll out dough, you should do so from the center outward to get uniform thickness and shape. 

Turn your tart pan over above the dough to measure what size you will need. Your dough should be an inch wider on all sides of the pan.


Put the dough into the tart pan and press into the sides to fit. Remove any excess dough. Then use a fork to prick holes in the bottom. (This lets steam escape when it is cooking, so your tart doesn't get bubbles.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 more minutes.

Take it out of the fridge, and then here is a weird step to me, but the recipe said to do it, so I did. You need to cover the pastry dough with aluminum foil and fill it with either pie weights or beans. I do not own pie weights, but I had lentils...so that is what I used. The recipe didn't given any explanation, but I am assuming that you do this so the middle doesn't rise up...It looks funny to me though!

Bake at 400 for approximately 25 minutes or until it is slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now for the pastry cream! This has a few steps that you kind of have to do simultaneously, so be organized!

Begin by sifting together 1/8 of a cup of flour and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Set this aside. 

Bring 1 1/4 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to a boil over medium heat. Make sure you watch this! Milk boils over very quickly! 

While the milk is coming to a boil (remember to keep an eye on it!), mix together 1/4 cup of sugar and 3 egg yolks with a spoon. Make sure not to let this sit, because pieces of egg may begin to form. Once this is mixed completely, add the flour and cornstarch mixture. Combine until you have a paste.

After the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add slowly to the egg mixture. Whisk constantly to prevent curdling! 

Pour the cream back into the sauce pan and whisk constantly until it thickens! 

When it has thickened, pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to cool and set. 

Almost done! 

To make the glaze, put a 1/2 cup of apricot jam and 1 tablespoon of water into a sauce pan. Simmer on medium until it thins out to a syrupy consistency. Turn off heat and remove any chunks. 

Now it is time to assemble!! You can use any kind of fruit you want. I used strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries. 

First remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan. Place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down your arm. If you want to remove the bottom of the pan, run a knife or thin metal spatula between the crust and metal bottom, then slide the tart onto a cardboard cake round.

Next fill with the pastry cream. When I make this tart agin, I will double the amount of cream. So if you like cream, like I do, double it!!

Once the tart is filled, begin putting the fruit on. You can put it any design you would like! 

  When all the fruit is on, brush the apricot glaze on. You want to cover the entire tart. The glaze will make your fruit look shiny and delicious! 

Here is my finished tart!! It was delicious! I brought it to work and it was a big hit! 

Fruit Tart (Written Recipe)

Ingredients:


     Sweet Pastry Crust: 
     1 1/2 cups  all purpose flour
      1/8 teaspoon salt
      1/2 cup unsalted butter
      1/4 cup granulated white sugar
      1 large egg, lightly beaten


     Pastry Cream: 
     1 1/4 cups milk

     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

     3 large egg yolks

     1/4 cup granulated white sugar

     1/8 cup all-purpose flour

     2 tablespoons cornstarch 

Apricot Glaze:      1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves      1 tablespoon water       Topping:      Any fruit you want! (I used strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries)