This fruit tart tastes as good as it looks. It is especially wonderful in the summer when fresh berries and fruits are abundant. The tart crust can be made ahead, frozen and baked when needed. The pastry cream can also be made a few days ahead and is not as hard to make as you might think. It also tastes ten times better than anything you can buy.
Fresh Fruit Tart with Créme Patissiére
Servings 1 11-inch tart
Ingredients
Tart Pastry
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled-cut into1/2-inch pieces
- 2-4 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier optional
- 1 pinch salt
Créme Patissiére
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 large egg yolks lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fruit
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 pint blueberries
- 3 small kiwi
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons red currant jelly
- 1 tablespoon kirsch
Instructions
Tart Pastry
- In food processor combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Gradually add water until the mixture forms a ball.
- Flatten into a disk and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, butter an 11-inch tart pan.
- Once chilled, place dough onto lightly floured surface (use rice flour) and roll into a 13-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit into tart pan forming edges and freeze until firm.
- Preheat oven to 450°F and remove tart from freezer. Prick pastry with a fork and line with buttered parchment paper. Fill with dry beans or pie weights.
- Bake 5 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights and continue baking until browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
Créme Patissiére
- Heat milk in heavy saucepan until hot but not boiling. In a medium size bowl combine the sugar, flour and salt. Slowly add the hot milk and whisk together. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
- Cook until smooth and very thick. Off the heat beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Return to the heat and boil for a minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and and beat until mixture cools slightly.
- Stir in the vanilla and butter, blending well. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, touching its surface, to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely in refrigerator.
Glaze
- Heat jelly and kirsch in a small saucepan until jelly is melted. Set aside to cool.
Assembling Tart
- Spread cooled pastry cream into tart shell.
- Decoratively arrange fruit onto pastry cream. Using a pastry brush, brush glaze on top of fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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