Monday, July 31, 2017

Fruit Tart with Custard Cream

Ready to find out how to make this fresh and picture-perfect fruit tart 
right in your own kitchen?!? 

It's not so hard! It's not hard at all to whip up this BEAUTY!
I promise that if you follow my simple step-by-step directions below, you'll be able to make from scratch, right in your kitchen this delicious, summer-perfect dessert. Made with a traditional cookie crust (pasta frolla), creamy and velvety custard cream (crema pasticcera). And loads of naturally perfect and colorful fresh fruit, arranged on top as your creativity calls out. So pretty and so easy, you can't mess it up!

I've actually baked this fruit tart (or as we call it in Italy, crostata di frutta) many MANY times. And it's always a big hit. 
The best part is decorating the top with seasonal fruit, and create a fun and colorful design. 
Just beware, some fruit doesn't work as well as other, like banana or apple slices for example. These will quickly change color once cut (unless you use lemon juice) and will not look as good.
And let me be honest here. I do have one "problem" when I bake this dessert. 
People assume it's store-bought... even my own kids!
And come on, shouldn't they know better?! 
It's so pretty that might not look homemade. See what I'm saying?? 
Ready to find out how you can bake this too?!


INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 11 inch (28 cm) tart, about 8 servings
    • For the crust:
      • 2 egg yolks
      • 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
      • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk
      • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
      • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
      • 6 oz (170 gr) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
      • 2 1/2 cups (375 gr) of all-purpose flour
      For the crema pasticcera (custard cream):
      • 8 fl oz (240 ml) of milk
      • 2 egg yolks
      • 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
      • 1.5 tablespoons (15 gr) of corn starch
      • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
      • 6 fl oz (175 ml) of whipping cream 
      For the toppings: 
        About 8 oz (225 gr) strawberries
        About 18 oz (510 gr) of other berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries ...)

    PREPARATION:

    TIME: 45 minutes to prepare, plus one hour inactive
    Let's start by working on the crust.
    Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
    In a large bowl combine the 2 egg yolks,1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of milk and a pinch of salt, and mix well.
    Add the butter cut in pieces and mix well again.
    Blend in the flour, one cup at the time. 
    Grease an 11 inch (28 cm) tart pan with butter and flour. Press the dough to the bottom of the pan with a spoon, your hands or the bottom of a cup. Sprinkle the top with a little bit of flour if the dough sticks to your hand. Make it as flat as possible.
    Work with your thumb around the edge to make it even, removing any extra dough.
    Prick the bottom with a fork.
    Bake the empty crust at 350° F (175° C) for about 25 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.

    While the crust bakes, let's make the custard cream.
    In a small pan (or microwave) warm up the milk almost to a boil.
    In another medium size pan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla and corn starch until smooth and fluffy. Make sure there are no lumps.
    Add a little bit of  the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking well so that no lumps form. Whisk in the rest of the milk.
    Place the pan over medium heat and stir continuously until it reaches a slow boil. The cream will thicken, so be careful not to let it stick to the bottom. Lower the flame and cook for only two more minutes or so, until you have the desired thickness.
    Pour the cream in a glass bowl and let it cool down. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
     When the patisserie cream is cold, whip the whipping cream and fold into the cream.

    Spread over the crust.
    And decorate with fresh fruit. I like to start from the edges working my way to the middle. I start with slices of strawberries and make two circles. And I covered the middle with lots of raspberries and blueberries, and some more strawberries. You can pick your favorite design and combination.
    And have fun!
      

    Enjoy!  
     

     

    10 comments:

    1. Fruit tart is one of my favourite desert and i can eat it anywhere at any time. Everyone should give this healthy dessert a try at home. Its easy to make and tasty.

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    2. The texture of Fruit Tart with Custard Cream is looks great!. I will try this healthy dessert next weekend. Thank you for idea and sharing the ingredients and preparation.

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    3. Nice answers in replace of the question with real point of view and explaining about that.
      Emily

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    4. I literally started having hunger pangs halfway through the post. It looks amazing and I bet it also tastes delicious too. It is the perfect dish to cook up in this season. I can’t wait to try it . Looking forward to reading more delectable recipes in the upcoming posts.

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    5. What can I do if i only have a 9 inch pie pan? I'm ready to add the dough in the pie tin, then realized it's 2 inches small?!? I know it should be fine... but what adjustments for cooking time?

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      Replies
      1. Hi!! It’s ok :) Same baking time, maybe set timer for five minutes less and check.
        If you have a little too much dough trim off the extra - don’t make the crust too thick.
        You can always use the extra dough and make sugar cookies. Cookies only takes about 12 minutes to bake ... After baking you can also spread some preserve on half and get sandwich cookies! So good :)

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      2. Thank you for your fast response! The crust turned out perfectly! I ended up baking it in a 12 inch frying pan :D (my pie tin was actually only 8 inches)

        But one more question and story:
        When it was time for the whipping cream, I mixed it with a hand mixer because it sounded like you wanted it to be fluffy when mixing it with the refrigerated concentrated custard cream? Not just the milk form whipping cream, correct?
        I tried to get it as whipped as possible... unfortunately, I mixed too long because I ended up with chunks of butter and liquid. So I decided to put it all on hold until I get more whipping cream tomorrow :(

        So question is, could I have just used Cool-whip? I didn't want to risk ruining my hard work, so I didn't. Now im wondering if I should have- because I could be eating it right now! :/

        Oh, I also didn't catch the milk before it started to boil either. Lol I think I'm gonna need some more practice before mine looks and tastes like yours!
        Anyway, thanks for posting a great recipe and video. I still had fun attempting it.

        I'm a home health care aid and was making it for a client that is 90% housebound. He enjoys my "surprise cooking" because I make things he's never tried before. So we thank you for the entertainment- even if my version fails :)

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    6. made this recipe the day of our neighborhood block party, out of the the card table full of desserts cakes, bars, cookies, pie, I am very proud to say your recipe was the biggest hit- all gone and no other desserts were touched-lol. it is now my kids favorite as well i am baking another one right now. Thank you for this delicious, unique, and downright excellent recipe your take on the cream is unique and from now on this will be my only cream/custard go to filling it is AMAZING! thanks again, and happy belated mothers day

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    7. The sugar amount is 1/2 a cup in the ingredients list but in the preparation notes it says 1 cup of sugar. Which amount is correct?

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