How to Make a Fruit Tart?

If you've ever had a great fruit tart at a restaurant, you've probably thought to yourself, "I could make this at home." And, you know what? You're probably right! Fruit tarts aren't all the complicated as far as desserts go, but they can certainly come out less-than-ideal if you don't follow a few simple rules.  So, we're going to give you a leg up by sharing an easy fruit tart recipe or two with you. You'll see that making a fruit tart is both easy and fun, and hopefully, you'll be inspired to come up with some of your own recipes. 

How to Make a Fruit Tart

For this recipe, we're not going to stray far from the classic French fruit tarts you've probably tasted before. And it all starts with the perfect pastry cream, or crème patissière if you're feeling particularly fancy.  In a nutshell, pastry cream is the thick custard-like filling used in fruit tarts that gives them the luscious mouthfeel they're so known for. In a fruit tart, you want to highlight the fresh flavor of fruits, so there's no need to go overboard with the cream. A simple vanilla pastry cream will do just fine, and here's what you need to make it:  

Tart Pastry Cream

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

1. In a saucepan, simmer the milk and add ½ cup of sugar, stirring occasionally. 
2. Mix the remaining sugar and all the cornstarch together in a bowl until they're thoroughly combined, then whisk in the egg yolks until they form a smooth mixture.  
3. When the milk is nearing a boil, use it to slowly temper the egg yolks, whisking them constantly while adding milk very slowly. 
4. Once everything is combined, stir in the vanilla extract and transfer it to a bowl. Place a piece of stretch wrap on the cream making sure the surface is touching the plastic to avoid forming a skin where it's exposed to the air. 

That's your pastry cream, which you'll need to refrigerate for about three to four hours before you use it. While that's in the fridge, you can move on to the pie crust, or tart crust in this case. 

Tart Crust

If you've ever made a shortbread crust, this needs no introduction. We'll use a basic shortbread recipe for this tart crust.

• 3.5 oz of butter (softened)
• 1 whole egg
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 ¼ cup AP flour
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt

 

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix them either by hand or with a mixer until the butter is fully creamed. This will take about three minutes with a hand mixer but don't stop until the butter is pale and almost fluffy.
2. Agg the egg and mix again until it's fully combined with the butter. 
3. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour and baking powder until they start to come together into a dough. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment is perfect for this, but you can also do this with a hand mixer and switch to mixing by hand when the dough is too stiff to continue. 

  When the dough is ready, use plastic wrap to tightly wrap it and refrigerate it along with your cream. After about an hour in the fridge, take it out and roll it out until it's about ⅛ of an inch thick.  Roll it loosely around a rolling pin and unravel it gently over a tart pan. If you don't have a tart pan, a pie dish will do in a pinch as long as it's about 9 inches in diameter, and if you can find one with a removable bottom, even better.  Press the crust into the pan as if you were to make a crust and lay a piece of parchment on it. To bake it evenly, put about two pounds of beans into the pan over the parchment paper, or pie weights if you have them.  Bake the crust at 350 ℉ for about 10 minutes and let it cool completely before continuing, but don't remove it from the pan. 

Arranging The Fruit

Now comes the fun part—putting it all together. This is where you get to let your imagination run wild and focus on the fruit part of your fruit tart.  If you want a tropical fruit tart, you can pick fruits like kiwi, pineapple, or mango. Fancy something more continental? Go for strawberries, blackberries, and peaches. The sky's the limit, and all that matters is that your fruit is cut into equal pieces, and you're happy with what you end up creating.  First, you'll want to transfer your chilled pastry cream into the tart crust and make sure it's smooth all around. Then, arrange the fruit in a pleasing pattern, try to use a variety of colors and flavors.  You'll need about a pint of sliced fruit but feel free to use more or less as needed. When you're done, melt some apricot jam and use a kitchen brush to glaze the fruit generously. You can use any other kind of jam, but keep in mind you'll want to match the colors and flavors of your fruit to the extent that it's possible. The glaze serves to prevent the fruit from drying out until you're ready to serve your tart.  And there you have it! You're ready to unleash your fruit tart on the world. Now the next time you want to search for "the best fruit tart near me," the answer will be that it's in your kitchen!  

Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Fruit Tart Recipe

Unless you're baking for an occasion, or you have a big family, it can be challenging to eat an entire fruit tart before it starts to get mushy or gummy. If that's a problem for you, try baking your pie crust just a hair longer than you otherwise would.  Giving your crust a deep bake will prevent it from absorbing moisture as quickly so it will stay crunchy longer. Alternatively, you can pop your tart into a hot oven for a few minutes to re-crisp the shell when you're ready to serve, but don't rely on this trick working more than once.  Unfortunately, fruit tarts don't stand up well to being frozen. They're meant to be enjoyed on the same day they're made, so try to plan out the baking process to concise with a time you'll be able to eat it all or give it away to someone. 

Your Fruit Tart Your Way

If you're craving the perfect fruit tart, it's only a few hours away with this recipe. But we all know you don't always want to wait a few hours for dessert. Well, we've got you covered with our tropical fruit tart, made fresh every day.  Make a reservation today, and you can enjoy a fruit tart or any one of our many delicious desserts, and you may as well have an entree while you're at it. And if you have any questions or comments about this fruit tart recipe, we'd love to hear from you; leave a comment below or send us an email.  And remember to always be stubborn in what you believe in.