French Fresh Fruit Tart
A classic tart with a crisp sweet crust, creamy vanilla pastry custard filling and an artful arrangement of fresh fruit glazed for shine.
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Crust (Pâte Sucrée)
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Fruit + Glaze
- assorted fresh fruit (berries, kiwi, mango, etc.)
- ¼ cup apricot jam warmed and thinned with water for glaze
Instructions
- Prepare the tart crust: Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt. Work in cold butter chunks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stream in cream, egg yolk and vanilla, mix until dough just comes together. Press into a 9-inch tart pan, chill for at least 30 minutes, then blind-bake until golden. Cool completely.
- Make the pastry cream: Heat the milk until just below boiling, meanwhile whisk sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolks until smooth. Temper the eggs with a little hot milk, then return mixture to pot and cook, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill until fully set.
- Assemble the tart: Once crust is cooled and pastry cream chilled, spread the cream into the tart shell evenly. Arrange the fresh fruit decoratively over the cream.
- Make the glaze: Warm the apricot jam with a tablespoon of water until thin. Brush over the arranged fruit to give a glossy finish and to help preserve the fruit’s freshness.
- Chill the tart for at least 1 hour before serving. Store in the fridge and best eaten the same day.
Notes
You can make the crust and pastry cream a day ahead to simplify assembly. Choose firm fresh fruit that won’t bleed juices quickly. Avoid very juicy or oxidising fruit (like bananas or overripe melon) for best presentation. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}