Fruit Tart, beauty to the eyes and mouth

Fruit tarts are so beautiful, it makes me want to get one every time I pass by a shop with them displayed at the window. It is one of those tarts you can't get enough of. This time, I made 'enough' to satisfy my craving.



It seems enough wasn't enough after all. Flatmates loved them and M who was supposedly on a low sugar diet could not resist eating more. He found my secret stash!!

FRUIT TART RECIPE

adapted from Michel Roux's strawberry tart
makes 12

Ingredients:

For pâte sucrée:

• 250g plain flour


• 100g butter, cubed and softened


• 50g icing sugar


• pinch of salt


• 2 eggs, at room temperature

For crème patissière:

• 6 egg yolks


• 110g caster sugar


• 40g plain flour


• 500ml full fat milk


• 1 vanilla pod / 1 tsp vanilla extract


• little icing sugar

To finish:

• raspberries


• grapes, cut in half


• 1 can of peach

To glaze:

• 150g apricot jam


• 2 tbs water water

Method:

1. To make pastry, mix flour, icing sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in the softened cubed butter and rub in with your fingers until mixture becomes grainy.


2. Make a well and pour in the beaten eggs then work them into the flour with your hands until dough comes together.


3. Wrap dough in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.


4. Preheat oven to 180ºC.


5. Remove dough from fridge and roll out pastry on a well floured surface to about 3-5mm thick.


6. Cut the pastry into circles, bigger than the tart case. Carefully line the 10mm tartlet case and make sure it overlaps the edge. Use a rolling pin to roll over the case to cut off the excess pastry.


7. Prick the bottom of the tart cases with a fork.


8. Press a square of parchment paper into the tart case and fill it up with ceramic baking beans.


9. Repeat steps 5 to 8 for remaining pastry.


10. Bake the tart cases for about 15 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.


11. Remove the baking beans and let cool on a wire rack.


12. Set aside and start making the crème patissière.


13. Pour the milk into a heavy based pot.


14. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrap the seeds out. Put the seeds and pod into the milk, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat and let cool for about 30 seconds.


15. In a bowl,whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow then whisk in the flour until combined.


16. Slowly pour the hot milk in a small stream into the bowl while whisking.


17. Pour them back into the pot and bring to boil on medium heat while whisking constantly for about 1 minute or until thickened.


18. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl. Sprinkle some icing sugar over the top to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool.


19. Spoon some cooled crème patissière into the tart cases and top with whatever fruits you like.


20. To make apricot glaze, heat the jam and water until melted. Stir constantly. Strain to discard pulp, return back to saucepan and heat gently until thickened.


21. Allow to cool lightly and brush the fruits carefully to give it a lovely shine.

** As you can see in the pictures, I did not glaze my tarts and should be shot but I ran out of jam so remember to check for jam in your pantry before making these beautiful tarts.

Tips:

• Pâte sucrée and crème patissière can be made 2-3 days in advance, kept in the fridge.


• Pâte sucrée can also be frozen up to 3 weeks.