Fruit Tart

Fruit Tart – stunning and delicious treat made with sweet and buttery crust and a luscious cream filling then topped with colorful fresh slices of fruits. There’s nothing quite as lovely as an eye-catching fresh fruit tart served on a fine summer day!

I’ve been dying to share this photos and recipe with you guys ever since the sun consistently showed up here in L.A. Good weather means good light and natural light truly matters when taking food photos. As for this recipe, I can’t help but just fire away my camera as I gaze at it in awe on how beautiful it is.

Honestly, I felt a little bit down when I had to slice it up just so I can show you its lovely luscious cream filling. But it didn’t disappoint me though, it gets better and better as I look at it behind my lens – whether in its glorious full circle or sliced. The taste??? Well, *superb* would not bring justice to this summer treat.

 

Tart vs Pie

I’m a huge pastry fan. As a matter of fact, I was able to eat all pastries in 3 full days back in my college dorm when metabolism was way much faster than these days. I would like to think of it as one of the highlights in my college days. And pies and tarts were two of those treats that would always knock my socks off.

Aren’t they the same?

Apparently not, but close enough. Let’s say….they’re like cousins. They are both baked desserts that can be both savory or sweet wrapped in crust and filled with sweetness.

A pie is made with a crispy flaky slightly sloped crust usually made with flour, salt, cold water and lard or butter, or a combination of both. Moreover, it can have just a bottom plus the filling, like this Banana Cream Pie, or both a bottom and a top crust just like this Pineapple Pie here. They are served straight away on their baking dish.

A tart on the other has shallow sides and only a bottom crust. Its crust is firm yet crumbly but not too flaky; usually made with flour, unsalted butter, cold water and sugar. They are mostly served on a pan with removable bottom so it can be unmolded or removed right before serving.

Fruit Tart Ingredients

There are three layers of goodness in this tart that will surely make your taste buds sing for joy.

1. Crumbly Sweet Buttery Crust 
2. Luscious Sweet Creamy Custard
3. Juicy Fresh Fruits

Don’t let the long list scare you. Most of them are actually baking essentials which might be sitting around in your pantry right now. So what you need basically would be:

• all-purpose flour
• cornstarch
• salt
• granulated sugar (confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar could be replaced with regular sugar)
• milk
• heavy cream
• eggs
• butter
• vanilla extract
• fresh fruits

Tart Crust Recipe

I have nothing but praises for this beautiful crust. It is exactly what I expected my tart crust to be – firm, crumbly and not too flaky, buttery and slightly sweet. You’ll love that nice little bite into it that is a contrast to that luscious smooth custard filling. Surprisingly, you only need 5 simple ingredients to make this tart crust – all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cold unsalted butter and an egg yolk.

Tips #1: Confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar are fine smooth sugar usually used as toppings on cakes. If you can’t find it in the baking aisle, you may replace this with the usual granulated sugar.

Tip #2: Please take note that I use unsalted butter in this recipe. If what you have is the salted variant, you’ve got to omit the salt in the list. Remember, salt is just a supporting cast in this showstopper dessert.

Tip #3: Cold butter is ideal when baking pastries and pie dough. It creates pockets of dry flour and fat-coated flour which when butter melts would yield to a crust’s flaky structure and tenderness.

Why Does My Tart Crust Shrinks?

One of the common reasons why your tart crust is shrinking is due to over-kneading the dough which develops too much gluten in it. And when heated, it contracts, thus pulling away from the edges of the pan. Make sure that you don’t overwork your dough and allow it to rest in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Overworking the dough would also result to a tougher or harder crust. And we don’t want that to compromise the entire fruity treat.

How Do You Avoid A Soggy Bottom?

Blind baking or pre-baking the crust covered all around with beans (or covered in foil or parchment to weigh down) allows it to firm enough without bubbling up. This is to ensure that the crust is crisp enough to hold the wet filling. Others would also create a barrier between the crust and the wet filling by brushing the unbaked crust with beaten egg before pouring in the filling. You can check out these other helpful tips to prevent soggy crust.

How to Make the Tart Filling

It’s sooo dang hard to stop myself from poking my finger into the custard filling as it cools down. Guess you’ll never know once you try it. To make the tart filling:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Combine wet ingredients and gently pour it in into the dry ingredients.
3. Mix altogether until you see no lumps.
4. Heat up the mixture on the stove at medium high heat for about 7-10 minutes while constantly stirring to thicken it up.
5. Stir in softened butter and vanilla extract into it and give it a stir until thoroughly combined.

Can I Make a Tart Ahead of Time

Yes, you certainly can. You can pre-bake the crust ahead, let it cool and cover with an aluminum foil before storing in the fridge. Or you may also make the custard filling in advance, too, and just cover it tightly and store in the fridge until ready to use. When ready to serve, you can then assemble the fruit tart starting by pouring in the custard into the baked crust.

Can You Freeze a Fresh Fruit Tart?

I don’t recommend doing so. Tarts are best enjoyed when served on the day it’s made. 

How Do You Store a Fruit Tart?

Honestly, I haven’t tried  storing any leftover fruit tarts in my fridge as they would always get swept away from the table right then and there – they’re that good! But since this has fresh fruits, I’d recommend storing it in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days.

What Other Fruits I Can Use For a Fruit Tart?

Aside from what you see in the photos, you can add your favorite fruit in this tart or do your own version of fruit tart. While berries are winning in that color department, you may try slices of pineapple, mangoes, plums, melon, peaches, apricots, apples and pears. Own it and make it like a blank canvass – tap on your inner creativity!

How to Make a Fruit Tart Crust

Butter or spray a 9-inch pie pan with a removable bottom – making sure it is has been adequately sprayed. Set aside. Place flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse for a couple of times to mix ingredients. Throw in butter and pulse until rough dough forms. Then add egg a little at a time – pulse until the dough barely comes.

Do not overwork the dough; otherwise it’ll be too tough. When it’s ready, the dough will be barely moistened and come together into a ball. Lightly press the dough on the prepare pie pan – working from the center up until the bottom and sides are fully covered with pastry – again be very gentle when pressing the dough onto the pie pan. 

Place pie pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 30 minutes or more; this helps prevent the dough from rising. If you are in a rush brick, then bake with beans to prevent rising. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Bake crust for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is dry and golden browned. Set aside.

How to Make a Fruit Tart 

Add dry ingredients to a saucepan: cornstarch, sugar and salt. Mix to combine. n a medium bowl, whisk together milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks. Gently whisk wet ingredients into the saucepan making sure there are no lumps or until sugar has dissolved . Place sauce pan on the stove at medium high heat – keep stirring constantly until in starts to bubble. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, until mixture has thickened. Stir in the butter and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.

Pour in bowl, then cover the surface directly with plastic wrap. Allow it to come to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use. When the tart shell is completely cooled, spread the cream over the bottom of the shell.  

Arrange the fruit in a decorative fashion over the cream in any fashion that you desire. Drizzle with strawberry glaze, if using. Serve and slice.