French Fruit Tart

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 1 5

Servings:

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

COURSE: Cake, Dessert

CUISINE: American, French

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

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