French Fruit Tart
A classic fruit tart for summer built upon a pate sable tart crust, a velvety French creme patisserie/pastry cream, and fresh fruit of mixed berries, peach, and apricot. A gorgeous dessert any time of year!
Equipment
- Tart pan, either 9-10 inch or 7-8 inch with a little extra remaining.
- Food processor, if possible, for the dough.
Ingredients
Pate Sucree Tart Crust
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cold butter, diced
- pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1-3 tbsp cold water
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, diced at room temperature
Fruit for Assembly
- Approx 2 cups Mixed berries and peaches or whatever combo of fruit preferred
- Apricot or other jam for brushing fruit
Instructions
For the Pate Sucree
- In a food processor or in a large mixing bowl, add the cold cubed butter, flour, sugar, and salt and pulse until the texture is coarse crumb aka grains of sand aka "sable."
- Add in the egg yolk and at least 1 tbsp of cold water to pulse. Add in more of the cold water if needed and pulse until the dough just comes together.
- Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Butter/grease the tart shell tin and when ready, roll out the tart dough to larger than the shell and fold over the top half over the rolling pin.
- Pick up the dough and place gently in the tart tin. Unfold and remove the rolling pin.
- Very gingerly press the dough into the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Use your fingers to place dough in all the grooves and pinch the tops of the grooves, leaving a little dough over the top in case the tart shell shrinks.
- Cover the tart tins with two layers of foil, making sure to also cover the outer edges. Add in pie weights or baking beans and blind bake the crust for 30 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes uncovered. If using mini tartlets, blind bake for 15-20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes uncovered, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in tart pans, then moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slip off the sides of the tart pan/s, followed by the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and cool completely in refrigerator.
For the Pastry Cream
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups of milk and vanilla nearly to a boil.
- In a bowl, cream egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth. Add in the cornstarch and whisk.
- Start to slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture a little at a time, while constantly and vigorously whisking.
- Once all the milk is in, return the mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat and continue to whisk until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, and keep whisking while adding in the butter, one cube at a time, until the butter is melted and the cream is even and velvety. Pour into a metal bowl, add plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate completely for several hours, even overnight if possible.
To Assemble
- Add the pastry cream to the tart shells until filled and flat on the top. Smooth to make sure cream is level, but do not overfill. Leave some room for the fruit.
- Arrange fruit pieces and slices in whatever design you wish. If a smaller tart, feel free to concentrate on one or two berries or fruits to allow for an elegant design. I brushed all of my tart fruits with jam, apricot or otherwise, a little powdered sugar, and a sprig of mint. Keep covered in plastic wrap to preserve flavor in the refrigerator for up to a week. Leave out for a few minutes before serving.
