Fresh Fruit Tarts Recipes

EASY FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray; dust with Bisquick mix. In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and 1/3 cup sugar. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Stir in egg until soft dough forms. Pat dough into 12x10-inch rectangle on cookie sheet; pinch edges of rectangle to form 1/2-inch rim.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool crust on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. Remove crust with spatula onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in whipping cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Spread over crust to within 1/4 inch of rim. Arrange fruits on top. Brush jelly over fruits. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Make the Pate Sucree. Make the Pastry Cream and set it aside.
• Remove the pate sucree from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and knead it slightly to make it malleable if it feels stiff. Using a rolling pin, press the dough to flatten it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Generously flick flour over the work surface and the dough. Make sure the surface you are rolling on is well floured so that the dough does not stick to it; likewise, make sure the disk itself is floured well enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking to it. Carefully roll out the disk into a circle about 10 inches in diameter. Roll from the center of the disk outward and gently rotate the disk 90 degrees (a quarter-turn) after each roll to ensure that the disk gets stretched out evenly into a nice circle. Use a bench scraper to help move the dough by scraping underneath the dough and moving it around. Don't worry if the dough breaks a bit, especially toward the edges. You can easily patch these tears up once you've lined the tart pan.
• Once the dough circle is about 10 inches in diameter, dock it by poking it all over with a fork or a pastry docker (see Cook's Note). Roll it gently around the rolling pin, then unfurl it over an 8-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the tart pan, taking care to press into the corners. Trim the edge of the shell even with the top of the tart pan. Use any scraps or odd pieces to patch up any tears or missing bits. Make sure the entire tart pan is completely covered with dough, and press one last time all the way around to ensure that any holes have been patched up.
• Refrigerate the tart shell for at least 30 minutes to let the dough rest; the gluten needs a little time to relax so it doesn't shrink in the oven. (At this point you can wrap the tart shell well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until it is golden brown all around. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. (At this point the tart shell can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
• In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it holds a peak and is thick and soft. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
• Gently pop the tart shell out of the pan. Place the tart shell on a serving plate. (Hint: The tart shell has a tendency to slide around a bit, so anchor it to the plate by putting a small spoonful of the pastry cream mixture directly on the plate before placing the tart shell on it.) Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Stem and quarter the strawberries and place them on top of the cream with one cut side down, spaced randomly but evenly. Peel the kiwi and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/2 -inch-thick half-moons. (If using green grapes instead of kiwis, slice the grapes in half.) Place the kiwi slices in the cream against the cut side of the strawberries. Peel the mango and cut it into thin slices about 1 x 1 inch. Place the mango in the cream next to the kiwi. Slice the blackberries in half if they are large and place them in the cream in random places. Fill the empty spots on the tart with raspberries, blueberries, and any extra mango. The goal is to cover the whole tart with fruit and not have any cream visible. The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled or it will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator; serve within 6 hours.
• 1 large egg yolk (about 20 grams), at room temperature
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and light. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and paddle on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is entirely incorporated. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before using. The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-high heat until just before it comes to a boil, when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. (Mixing the cornstarch into the sugar will prevent it from clumping when you add it to the egg yolks.) Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in the sugar-cornstarch mixture until completely incorporated. Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs.
• When the milk is all whisked into the egg yolk mixture, return everything to the saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously for about 1 minute. At first the mixture will be very frothy and liquid; as it cooks more, it will slowly start to thicken until the frothy bubbles disappear, the mixture starts to steam, and the whole thing become more viscous. After 1 minute, stop whisking every few seconds to see if the mixture has come to a boil. If not, keep whisking vigorously. As soon as you do see it boiling, whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds, then immediately pour the pastry cream through a sieve into an airtight container. Stir in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until cold, before using. The pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

FRESH FRUIT FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place 1 piece of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Lightly moisten one of the short edges with water. Connect the end of the other puff pastry to the moistened edge. Press pieces together to form a long rectangle, trimming off loose ends with a dough scraper as needed.
• Cut the third puff pastry piece lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Moisten the outer edges of the long rectangle with your finger; stick the pastry strips on top. Poke shallow holes all over the bottom of the dough using a fork. Do not prick the raised border.
• Bake pastry shell in the preheated oven until it starts to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Readjust the borders and push the bottom down with the flat side of a fork. Let cool completely while preparing the filling.
• Place butter and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl; smear together using a spatula until combined. Whisk in egg until mixture is creamy. Add almond flour, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly. Cut each pluot into 6 wedges. Fill pastry shell with the almond paste. Stick the pluots snugly, but not too deeply, into the filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and almond filling is set, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer tart onto a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 40 minutes.
• Combine apricot jam and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring to a boil in the microwave. Let cool until warm. Brush glaze over the cooled tart.

PUFF PASTRY TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut each into 4 squares. With a paring knife, lightly score a border 3/4 inch from edges. Brush border with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Freeze 10 minutes. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Gently press center to flatten.
• Meanwhile, combine fruit, sugar, citrus juice, and salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Fill shells with cream and top with fruit mixture. Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• PASTRY:.
• Combine flour, sugar and salt and place in freezer for 30 minutes.
• Cut butter into 1/4" pieces.
• Put flour mxiture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
• Add butter and pulse about 10 times until butter forms small bits. Add ice water and process until dough comes together. Place on a well-floured board and form into a disc.
• Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit 5 minutes.
• Roll dough into 1/16" thick circle, large enough to hang slightly over the sides of a 10" tart pan with removable bottom.
• Place dough in pan and cut off excess dough with a sharp knife or your thumb.
• Line tart shell with aluminum foil, then fill with dried beans or rice.
• Bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and foil; prick bottom of a shell with tines of fork to allow steam to eascape.
• Bake another 20 minutes until browned. Cool to room temperature.
• PASTRY CREAM:.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment(or using a hand held mixer), beat egg yolks and sugar on medium-speed about 3 minutes, until mixture is light yellow and falls back into bowl in a ribbon. On low speed, beat in cornstarch.
• In a large saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Slowly pour milk into egg mxiture, whisking steadily, then pour back into saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon until mixture is thick, about 4 minutes.
• Bring to a boil and cook then on low heat 2-3 more minutes. (Taste to be sure cornstach is cooked.).
• Remove from heat; mix in butter, vanilla, cream and cognac. Pour through a strainer into a bowl.
• Place plastic wrap directly onto custard(so it won't form a skin) and refrigerate until cold.
• ASSEMBLY & GARNISHES:.
• Place baked tart shell on serving plate and spread with pastry cream over bottom of shell.
• Slice and group fruit to make casual arrangement. Place larger fruit first, then fill spaces with berries &/or grapes. Use colorful fruit, such as halved strawberries or a grouping of raspberries, near the center for focus and height.
• (other fruit garnishes besides the ones listed above -- fresh orange, sliced or fresh lime, sliced or fresh apricot, sliced or fresh peach, sliced).
• Place sprinkling of almonds over tart, and use oranges &/or limes to garnish.
• GLAZE:.
• In small saucepan(or microwave-safe bowl), melt jelly with 1 tablespoon water.
• Brush glaze over fruit and serve as soon as possible to avoid soggy pastry.
• *TIP: Don't be afraid to be creative, this is the perfect palette!

FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix with a fork until blended. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Divide dough into six portions. Press each portion into a greased 4-1/2-in. tart pan. bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonfuls into each cooled tart shell. Arrange berries over filling., In a small saucepan, melt preserves over medium heat; stir until smooth. Brush over berries.

FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, cornmeal and lemon juice to form a dough. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 425° for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack., For filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Arrange berries or fruit over filling. Refrigerate while preparing glaze., For fruit glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, apricot nectar and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Cool; brush over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream. In the bowl of a food processor with a blade attachment, pulse the flour, butter, sugar and salt until no big chunks of butter remain. Slowly add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture. Blend to combine but don't overwork the dough.
• Remove the dough and, turning it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it 4 or 5 times to incorporate.
• Divide the dough in half if making one large tart. Divide the dough into four pieces if making mini tarts. Flatten the dough pieces into discs with your hands, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. (Freeze any remaining pieces for another project for up to 3 months.)
• Make the pastry cream: Put a damp kitchen towel under a medium bowl and whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar until the yolks are lighter in color, about 2 minutes. (The towel will ensure the bowl doesn't slide around.) Add the cornstarch and salt, whisk again, and set the bowl aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and the remaining sugar 1/4 cup sugar and cook until the mixture almost boils, 4 to 5 minutes. With one hand, start whisking the egg yolk mixture; with the other hand, slowly drizzle the hot milk into the bowl, whisking until all the milk is incorporated.
• Pour the custard back into the saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, on medium-high heat, until the mixture is thick and one bubble plops up on top, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the custard from the heat and pour into a clean medium bowl. Don't scrape the pot if the bottom looks burned or like scrambled eggs. Now, stir in the butter and vanilla. Keep stirring until the butter melts. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl so it is touching the pastry cream, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake the tart shell or shells: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a circle (about 9 inches across and 1/2 inch thick for one large tart and about 6 inches across and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick for four mini tarts.
• Lay the dough onto the tart pan, and then using your fingers, gently press it down. Try not to tear the dough or make it too thin. Ideally, it should be an even thickness all the way across.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the edges so the dough is perfectly even with the top of the tart shell (see Cook's Note). Place the tart shell on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes in the bottom of the tart shell to keep bubbles from forming during baking. Refrigerate the tart shell for 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tart shells if using.
• Remove the pan or pans from the fridge and lay a piece of parchment over the chilled dough. Fill the uncooked tart shell with pie weights or dried beans or uncooked rice.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then, using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Return the baking sheet to the oven, continuing to bake until the crust is golden brown, 5 to 8 more minutes. Let the pan or pans cool on a wire rack.
• Make the glaze and finish the tart: In a medium pot over medium heat, cook the apricot jam and water. Stir with a fork as it cooks until the mixture is a thin, shiny liquid, about 3 minutes.
• Take the pastry cream from the fridge and, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat the pastry cream to loosen it up. Spread the pastry cream in a thin 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer on the bottom of the tart shell.
• Carefully cut the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, mangos and figs. Arrange the fruit so there is no visible pastry cream. (You can make the tart look awesome by laying the fruit in cool patterns.)
• Once the fruit is arranged, use a soft pastry brush to paint it with the warm apricot glaze. Don't leave any bare spots. Make sure to glaze all the fruit. Take your time.
• Cut and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

VANILLA CUSTARD FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Process the flour and butter in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
• With the motor running, add the water and lemon zest through the feed tube and process until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or just until firm enough to roll out. If not using immediately, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze up to three months.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flour and butter into a medium bowl.
• Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add the water and lemon zest. Stir until the dough holds together.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or just until firm enough to roll out. If not using immediately, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze up to three months.
• Press the prepared tart dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes until very firm.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the tart shell at 1-inch intervals.
• Line the pastry snugly with foil.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes until crust is set and just beginning to brown.
• Remove the foil and bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 additional minutes. Set the crust on a wire rack and cool completely.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the milk until the mixture has a smooth texture. Make sure the whisk reaches the corners of the pan.
• Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and, whisking constantly, boil for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove the pan from the heat.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
• Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture.
• Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and, whisking constantly, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thicker. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted.
• Strain the custard through a fine sieve set over a medium bowl.
• Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
• Gather the shell, custard, fruit, and preserve.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the preserve until slightly thinner in consistency, about 5 minutes.
• ​ Stir the chilled custard and spread it into the prepared crust.
• Top with the fresh fruit of your choice.
• Brush the fruit with the preserve. Serve the tart right away or refrigerate, covered, for up to 24 hours. Enjoy.

MINI FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and butter. Mix on the lowest setting until the butter gets broken down into smaller pieces, about one minute of mixing. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then add the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
• Mix on medium (setting 4 or 6) for about two minutes or until the mixture begins to look like crumbly sand. Test the dough by stopping the mixer and pinching some sandy dough between your fingers. If it sticks to itself and forms a piece of dough, you're ready to knead. If it's too dry, try adding one tablespoon of heavy cream at a time to adjust. (See image for how final dough consistency should be after mixing.)
• Remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and use your hand to form the sand into a ball of dough. I like to do this in the bowl because it's less of a mess.
• Scoop about three tablespoons of dough and use your hands to mold and flatten the dough straight into the tart molds. (Three tablespoons is about 60 grams of dough for a four-inch tart mold).
• Use a fork to prick throughout the bottom of each tart mold.
• Chill the tarts in the molds in the freezer for at least one hour before baking, this will prevent the dough melting too much or shrinking in the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Take your tarts straight from the freezer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. TIP: At around 8 minutes, check on your tarts to see if their centers are rising. If they are rising, you can open the oven and use a measuring cup to flatten the centers with a tiny bit of pressure. Continue to bake them until you see the edges begin to brown, then remove from the oven.
• Remove the tart shells from the molds and cool them on a rack. The finished shells should be slightly hard to the touch. If you press the centers and they feel soft or there is some flex when you hold them up, they need to be placed back in their molds to continue baking for a few more minutes (make sure to watch these as they finish cooking).
• These tart shells can be pre-made a few days before assembly, just make sure to fridge them after they cool.
• While your tart shells are chilling in the freezer, you can make the custard. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
• Sift together the flour and cornstarch. Whisk in the sifted flour and cornstarch to the egg yolk mixture.
• Add the whole milk and vanilla extract into the egg yolk mixture.
• Move the custard mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and constantly whisk for about one to two minutes or until it begins to thicken. TIP: You will begin to see little thick specks of custard on the bottom of the pan as it begins to thicken. Do not stop whisking at this point, but if you feel this process is going to fast you can remove the pan off the heat and whisk to blend the custard properly. Your custard is done when the consistency is similar to a thick pudding. This process should take no more than a few minutes. (See image here for how the final consistency should look.)
• Remove it from the pan and place the custard in a container to cool for at least 30 minutes before assembly. This custard can be made a day in advance and fridged.
• Slice your preferred fruit. I like strawberries, blackberries, and kiwi.
• Glaze: Add apricot jelly and water in a small bowl. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds to melt the apricot jelly slightly, and mix together using a spoon. Strain the jelly mixture.
• TIP: To prevent your tarts from getting soggy, brush on some glaze to the tart before adding the custard filling. This should act as a barrier.
• Take one shell tart and spoon in the whipped custard cream. I like to add enough custard to fill about ¾ of the tart shell. Arrange your fruit on top however, you prefer. Brush on the apricot glaze over the fruit tart. Serve immediately or chill for about 15 minutes if you want a nice and cold treat.