Fruit Tarts

Fruit tarts are beautiful, delicious, wonderful desserts. The first time I ever had one was when I was visiting a small bakery in Geneva, Switzerland a few years ago. It was early morning, and I had stopped in on my way to sightseeing to grab some breakfast. As I was perusing the items in the display case, a rainbow of colors caught my eye. A closer look indicated that the item was a tartlet- a hand-sized dessert consisting of a flaky crust, smooth pastry cream, and various sliced fruits, all topped by a shiny glaze. I loved the way it looked and tasted; I decided then and there to replicate the recipe when I came home.

To cut a long story short, pastry cream is harder to make than I thought. I have made (and threw out!) many batches; it either turns out too lumpy, too watery, too stiff, or too scorched. However, practice makes perfect, and I have finally managed to make a great pastry cream (or crème pâtissière as the French call it).

Here is the recipe for the fruit tart.

Ingredients:

Pre-made pie crust

Pastry Cream
1 ¼ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup white sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/8 cup flour
2-3 tablespoon cornstarch

Glaze
½ cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon water

Topping:
Various fruits such as sliced strawberries, blueberries, oranges, etc.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once it is at the right temperature, bake the pre-made crust for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Sift the flour and cornstarch together. After mixing the sugar and egg yolks, add the sifted flour mixture slowly until your paste has a smooth texture.
3. Heat the milk and vanilla in a medium sized saucepan. Once the milk starts foaming, remove it from heat, and slowly add in the egg mixture. Make sure that you are whisking quickly to keep the mixture from curdling.
4. Once everything has been evenly incorporated, return the mixture back to heat until it thickens. Make sure that you are still whisking as it cooks. Once it reaches the desired smooth texture, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam and water. Heat in the microwave for one minute or until the jam has melted. Stir thoroughly and set aside.
6. Spread a thin layer of glaze onto the baked crust. This seals the crust and keeps it from getting soggy from the pastry cream. Now add the pastry cream, followed by the various fruits. Once done, spread the leftover apricot glaze on the fruits to give them a shiny, smooth look.
7. Refrigerate until serving.

That’s all there is to it! Enjoy!