A lighter dessert perfect for Spring/Summer.
I am a huge fan of chocolate and most of the treats I make lean toward the super indulgent, but occasionally it’s nice to have something a little lighter available. Especially as we head into Spring and Summer, this fresh fruit tart is a nice option for something sweet that isn’t overwhelming, and I would encourage everyone to make use of whatever fruits are seasonal and available to you when topping the tart.
PrintFresh Fruit Tart
Celebrate the seasons with a fresh fruit tart. Crisp, slightly sweet crust filled with custard and topped with seasonal fresh fruits.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours including cooling and assembly
- Category: dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Crust:
3/4 cup (12Tbs) cold butter cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3 Tbs cold water
Custard:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
2 Tbs cold butter cut into chunks
vanilla*
Assorted Fruits
Apple Jelly or apricot preserves to glaze the top
Instructions
For the crust, place butter, flour, powdered sugar, and salt into food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand, or the flour and butter are well incorporated. Slowly add 3 Tbs cold water and continue to process until the dough comes together. Roll out dough to put into a pie pan, or press into a tart pan. You may have excess dough depending on the pan you select, but I prefer to have too much dough rather than too little. It’s best to leave some overhanging dough that you can trim from the edges after the bake rather than have the crust shrink while baking and leave you with a fresh fruit “pizza.”* Prick the dough repeatedly with a fork. Line the crust with parchment and fill the shell with pie weights to help the crust keep its shape while baking. Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, removing the pie weights for the final 10 minutes of baking so the crust can achieve a nice golden color. When the crust has been removed from the oven, start on the filling.
For the filling, combine the milk, cream, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a simmer. In a separate bowl whisk together the yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Once the milk mixture is hot, temper the eggs by slowly whisking about 1 cup of the liquid into the egg mix. Pour the tempered eggs back into the saucepan through a sieve and cook over medium heat, continuing to whisk until bubbles start forming and the custard begins to thicken which usually takes about 5 minutes depending on the temperature of your ingredients. Once the custard has reached this point, remove from heat and add the 2 Tbs of butter and the vanilla. Pour into the baked shell and allow to cool. Once it has cooled slightly, cover the tart and refrigerate it for 4 hours before adding the fruit.
For the fruit, select what appeals to you. The tart pictured uses strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, nectarines, and raspberries. Use one fruit or many fruits, and arrange over the top of the tart. To make it “fancy” warm a few tablespoons of jelly or preserves in the microwave, which will give it a more liquid texture, and then brush this over the top of the fruit for some gloss.
Notes
*For the vanilla in the custard I highly recommend using 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste. You can also use 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract. This recipe also works with whole vanilla beans, but you will want to soak the vanilla bean in the warm milk for about 10-15 minutes before removing, scraping out the seeds, and then proceeding with the recipe at the point of tempering the eggs.
*I always place my tart pan on a flat baking sheet, like a round pizza pan or large cookie sheet, while baking. This will catch any overhanging dough that might fall off during baking if you use a tart pan.
*You want your tart shell to hold up when removed from the tart pan. I err on the side of overbaking my shell, making sure it is golden all over. That may mean baking for longer than the specified time. Ovens vary, so rely on your eyes and your best judgement.
*Many recipes call for custard to be run through a sieve once they have cooked. I find this to be messy and slow. I have found it to be more effective to run tempered egg mixture through a sieve when adding to the milk mixture, and then finish cooking. This results in a silky, smooth custard.
Keywords: fresh fruit tart, custard, fruit, tart
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