Classic Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream–technique and artistry made easy

French technique made simple

The classic fruit tart is the ultimate French pastry shop dish. It’s the sort of dessert you envision sharing with your lover at an outdoor cafe, your hair tousled and cheeks flushed from the activity that brought on your appetite. Many home cooks shy away from this technique-driven dish. But one of our favorite pastry chefs, Leah Kuo, has broken down the technique for us into simple steps even a novice could complete.

A recipe with a “wow” factor

It’s the perfect recipe for a couple to make together as a weekend baking project. And it’s also the “wow” sort of dish perfect for wooing someone at the end of a romantic meal. I love the combination Leah puts together of fresh fruits, a somehow both light and rich pastry cream and that distinctive tang of an apricot glaze. I like to serve my tart with a glass of late harvest Riesling or other desert wine which echoes that apricot note.

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Classic Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

Pastry chef Leah Kuo breaks down the steps of creating a classic, French fruit tart. This is the perfect dessert to "wow" at the end of a romantic meal. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Tart

Dish Type: tart

Cooking Style: Baking

Seasonal: Easter, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

Ingredient: pastry cream

Servings: 1 tart

Created by: Leah Kuo

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 TBL sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 TBL unsalted butter very cold
• 3 to 4 TBL ice water

For the pastry cream:

• 8 TBL sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 4 TBL cornstarch
• 2 TBL butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup apricot jelly
• 1 TBL water

Toppings:

• - Strawberries raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, sliced peaches and plums, cherries, champagne grapes.

Instructions

To make the pastry:

1. To make the pastry combine flour, sugar and salt and place in the freezer for an hour.
2. Cut the butter into π inch pieces.
3. Put flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor, add butter and pulse until butter forms small bits.
4. Add ice water and process until dough comes together.
5. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
7. On a floured surface roll dough into 1/8 inch thick circle, large enough to hang slightly over the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
8. Cut off excess dough with a sharp knife.
9. Line shell with aluminum foil, then fill with dried beans or pie weights.
10. Bake 10 minutes.
11. Remove beans and foil; prick bottom of the shell with a fork to allow steam to escape.
12. Bake another 20 minutes until browned.
13. Cool to room temperature.

For the pastry cream:

1. To make the pastry cream, scald the milk and 4 TBL sugar.
2. Whisk the egg, yolks, cornstarch and remainder of sugar until pale yellow and reaches the ribbon stage.
3. Temper the milk into the eggs. Thicken over medium low heat.
4. Once thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
5. Place in a large bowl and cover with piece of plastic wrap laid directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
6. Refrigerate until completely cool.

For the glaze:

1. To make the glaze, melt the jelly and water in a small saucepan until combined and smooth.

To assemble the tart:

1. Spread pastry cream on the bottom of the shell.
2. Artistically arrange the fruit over the cream.
3. Brush glaze over the fruit.
4. Serve and enjoy!

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