Fruit Tart

Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Kiwi Tart 

 This summer I went to italy, and every café would have numerous tarts and pastries to choose from. Each were perfectly decoration and presented so beautifully, it make the task of picking one oh so difficult.  So when I decided to make a fruit tart, I prepared myself for the key point, presentation. The layers of fruit needed to be cut and laid perfectly. As beautiful as the tart turned out, it tasted...It tasted amazing! I was in love, covered in all my favorite fruit ($15 worth, ekk!), a thin layer of pastry custard, and a smooth crust. Biting into the tart brought me back to summer in italy. I'm excited to make this tart again in the summer, especially when fruit is in season.       

Pastry Crust

Serves 6-8 people

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

 In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and  place in freezer for about 10-15 minutes.


Lightly butter and flour, or spray with a non-stick vegetable/flour cooking spray, an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Making sure the sides of crust are even hight. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400˚ and place rack in center of oven. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Place tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake crust for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚ and continue to bake the crust for about 15minutesor until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Can be covered and stored for a few days.

Pastry Cream 

1 1/4 cups milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. Sift the flour and cornstarch (corn flour) together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the milk to a boil. Just until milk starts to foam up remove from heat. Add milk slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Beat or whisk before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.
Barely tweaked from Joy of Baking