FRENCH FRUIT TART

This French fruit tart is made of buttery shortbread and filled with the most delicious custard cream. Topped with fresh fruit and berries. A perfect light dessert for all year round!

How to make a French Fruit Tart

This easy French fruit tart recipe is made of four components; a buttery shortbread crust, velvety pastry cream, and a lush assortment of seasonal fruit topped with a glaze. There is nothing as lovely as a fresh fruit tart for dessert.

• Shortbread Crust, also called pate sucre is a crip and tender pastry crust that maintains its texture when filled and even when chilled, making it ideal for this tart. Typically the dough is rolled out with a rolling pin, however, the pastry is very prone to tearing. I find it easier to just press the pastry into the baking pan and work your way into the sides. The crust is then blind-baked with the help of pie weights (or dried beans), to ensure that the crust stays flat during baking.

• Pastry Cream: A sweet vanilla custard that is used in many French desserts like eclairs and cream puffs works very well for this fruit tart recipe. Giving this tart a light and creamy texture that is the perfect accompaniment with the fruit.
• Fruit: Choose an assortment of fresh seasonal fruit such as berries, peaches, mango, kiwi, pineapple, cherries, or even citrus fruit like mandarin slices work really well.
• Glaze: Brushing some warmed apricot jam over the fruit will give your tart a shiny coating and will keep the fruit hydrated.

How to make a Fresh Fruit Tart Step-By-Step Video

HOW TO MAKE PASTRY CREAM (CREME PATISSERIE)

1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch until you have a thick smooth mixture. Set aside.2. Add vanilla extract to the milk. Using a saucepan over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (almost a boil). Turn the heat off and pour a little bit of milk into the egg yolk mixture. Stir to blend. This method is called tempering and prevents the eggs from cooking. Pour a little more and keep whisking continuously.3. Add the tempered yolk mixture back into the hot milk in the saucepan. Over medium heat, heat the custard while whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. That should take about 2 to 3 minutes.4. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until completely mixed in.5. Pour the custard cream into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently on top of the custard. This is to prevent custard skin from forming on top. You can also pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.6. Let the custard cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, until it is completely chilled. Use as needed.

HOW TO MAKE DIPLOMAT CREAM (CREME DIPLOMAT)

1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch until you have a thick smooth mixture. Set aside.2. Add vanilla extract to the milk. Using a saucepan over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (almost a boil). Turn the heat off and pour a little bit of milk into the egg yolk mixture. Stir to blend. This method is called tempering and prevents the eggs from cooking. Pour a little more and keep whisking continuously.3. Add the tempered yolk mixture back into the hot milk in the saucepan. Over medium heat, heat the custard while whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. That should take about 2 to 3 minutes.4. Remove from the heat. Pour the custard cream into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently on top of the custard. This is to prevent custard skin from forming on top. You can also pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.6. While the custard is cooling down a bit, whip the heavy cream. (If you are adding a whipped cream stabilizer, add it to the heavy cream before mixing).(If using gelatin powder instead of the stabilizer): Sprinkle the gelatin powder, or 2 sheets over the cold water and allow it to bloom for a few minutes. Squeeze out the water from the sheets, or use the thickened gelatin from powder. Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm custard and whisk to help it melt into the cream. Then, fold the whipped cream into the custard. Cover, and allow to cool in the refrigerator to set, and until ready to fill the tart shell.

RECIPE NOTES:

NOTES

For a thicker and richer pastry cream, you can use 6 egg yolks, and increase the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons in total.

Make-ahead Instructions: The pastry cream can be made up to 2 days prior to serving. The Tart can be assembled and refrigerated up to one day before serving but will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.

Do not freeze the tart.

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Recipe

French Fruit Tart

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Hello Ani

This French Fruit Tart is such a beautiful, classic French Dessert. Made with flaky and sweet shortcrust pastry, vanilla pastry cream, and topped with fresh fruit. Fresh, light, and delicious!

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup sugar
• 10 tablespoon unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 egg
• zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere)

• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla paste, alternatively peel of 1 lemon for lemon-flavored custard
• 4 egg yolks (See Notes below to make a richer/thicker custard)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Diplomat Cream (Creme Diplomat)

• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 4 egg yolks
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream + 1 teaspoon whip it stabilizer, or cream of Tatar, or ½ teaspoon dissolved gelatin powder

Toppings:

• 4 cups Fresh fruit e.g. strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, peaches, mangos, mandarins
• 2 tablespoon apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• Option 1: Pastry Cream (Creme Patisseiere)

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch until you have a thick smooth mixture. Set aside.

  2. Add vanilla extract to the milk. Using a saucepan over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (almost a boil). Turn the heat off and pour a little bit of milk into the egg yolk mixture. Stir to blend. This method is called tempering and prevents the eggs from cooking. Pour a little more and keep whisking continuously.

  3. Add the tempered yolk mixture back into the hot milk in the saucepan. Over medium heat, heat the custard while whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. That should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until completely mixed in.

  5. Pour the custard cream into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently on top of the custard. This is to prevent custard skin from forming on top. You can also pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

  6. Let the custard cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, until it is completely chilled. Use as needed.

  Option 2: Diplomat Cream (Creme Diplomat)

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch until you have a thick smooth mixture. Set aside.

  2. Add vanilla extract to the milk. Using a saucepan over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (almost a boil). Turn the heat off and pour a little bit of milk into the egg yolk mixture. Stir to blend. This method is called tempering and prevents the eggs from cooking. Pour a little more and keep whisking continuously.

  3. Add the tempered yolk mixture back into the hot milk in the saucepan. Over medium heat, heat the custard while whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. That should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Remove from the heat. Pour the custard cream into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently on top of the custard. This is to prevent custard skin from forming on top. You can also pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

  6. While the custard is cooling down a bit, whip the heavy cream. (If you are adding a whipped cream stabilizer, add it to the heavy cream before mixing).

  (If using gelatin powder instead of the stabilizer): Sprinkle the gelatin powder, or 2 sheets over the cold water and allow it to bloom for a few minutes. Squeeze out the water from the sheets, or use the thickened gelatin from powder. Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm custard and whisk to help it melt into the cream. Then, fold the whipped cream into the custard. Cover, and allow to cool in the refrigerator to set, and until ready to fill the tart shell.

  Make the Pastry Dough:

  Add flour into a large bowl, then add the sugar, a dash of salt, and baking powder. Stir to combine.

  Add the butter and the egg and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry scraper or your hands to form coarse crumbs. (If you wish you can also make the dough in a food processor).

  Start to bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Knead the pastry until all the flour is fully absorbed and it becomes a smooth ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.

  Preheat the oven to 350°F (180° C)

  Blind bake the pastry: After the dough has chilled, roll out using a rolling pin until ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. If you find it difficult rolling the dough into a perfect piece without tearing, that is ok. Do it as best as you can, then press the dough with your fingers into the tart pan and press along the sides.

  Prick the dough base with a fork, then top with a piece of parchment paper. Fill the tart with pie weights, or raw beans to weigh the pastry down. Bake the pastry for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Let the pastry cool completely before filling.

  Assemble the Fruit Tart:

  Fill the cooled pastry case with the pastry cream. Smooth the top with a spatula, then arrange your fruit of choice all over the top of the tart.

  Heat the apricot jam and water in a saucepan until the jam has melted, let cool for a minute, then carefully brush over the fruit. Keep the Fruit tart cool until ready to serve!

Video

Notes

For a thicker and richer pastry cream, you can use 6 egg yolks, and increase the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons in total.

Make-ahead Instructions: The pastry cream can be made up to 2 days prior to serving. The Tart can be assembled and refrigerated up to one day before serving but will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.

Do not freeze the tart.

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 797IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg

COURSE: Cake, Dessert

CUISINE: American, French

KEYWORD: French Fruit Tart, French Fruit tart Recipe, fruit tart, Fruit Tart recipe

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