Fruit Tarts Recipe
Make Fruit Tarts Recipe in just 3h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Pastry Shells (makes 6 tart shells, 4-inch / 10 cm)
Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière) — about 2.5 cups
Fruit Topping
Apricot Glaze
Finish / Optional
Method
Pastry Shells (makes 6 tart shells, 4-inch / 10 cm)
- 1
Prepare dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt until combined. Add the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter bits remaining.
- 2
Bind dough
Whisk the egg yolk with the vanilla and 1 tablespoon ice water. Drizzle over the flour-butter mixture and gently toss with a fork until the dough begins to come together. If still dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough holds when pressed. Do not overwork.
- 3
Chill and shape
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a flat disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). After chilling, roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness and cut six 4 1/2-inch rounds (to fit 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms). Gently press into pans, trimming excess. Prick the bottoms lightly with a fork.
- 4
Blind bake
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line each tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12–15 minutes until edges are set. Remove weights and parchment and return shells to oven for 6–8 minutes more until light golden. Let cool in pans on a rack. If the bottom has puffed, press gently with a spatula while warm to flatten.
Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière) — about 2.5 cups
- 5
Warm milk
In a medium saucepan, heat the whole milk and half of the granulated sugar (reserve the rest) with the vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped) or vanilla extract over medium heat until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form at the edge. Remove from heat.
- 6
Whisk yolks and starch
While the milk warms, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and the cornstarch until pale and slightly thickened and no lumps of starch remain.
- 7
Temper and thicken
Slowly pour about one-third of the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Return to medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and thickens to a pudding-like consistency (about 1–2 minutes once boiling). Do not stop whisking to prevent curdling.
- 8
Finish pastry cream
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and salt until smooth. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any cooked bits. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin. Chill in the refrigerator until cold, at least 2 hours.
Assembling and Fruit Topping
- 9
Prepare fruit
Wash and dry all fruit thoroughly. Hull and halve the strawberries, slice the kiwi into thin rounds, and leave blueberries and berries whole. Pat dry with paper towels so the fruit does not water down the tart.
- 10
Fill shells
Once pastry cream is fully chilled, remove plastic wrap and whisk briefly to smooth. Spoon or pipe about 3–4 tablespoons (depending on shell depth) of pastry cream into each cooled tart shell, smoothing the top with an offset spatula to create an even layer.
- 11
Arrange fruit
Artfully arrange the fruit on top of the pastry cream. For each tart, start at the outer edge with overlapping strawberry halves or kiwi slices and work inward, finishing with blueberries or raspberries in the center, or create a mixed arrangement to your preference.
Apricot Glaze and Finish
- 12
Make glaze
In a small saucepan, warm the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon water over low heat, stirring until smooth and runny. Strain if necessary to remove any fruit pieces.
- 13
Glaze fruit
Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, lightly glaze the fruit on each tart with the warmed apricot glaze to give shine and a light sealing layer. Be gentle to avoid displacing fruit.
- 14
Serve
Chill the assembled tarts for 15–30 minutes to set the glaze. Just before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar if using and garnish each tart with a mint leaf. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.