0 from 9 votes
Easy Fruit Tart
This fresh fruit tart is the perfect simple and delicious summer dessert! You'll love how buttery and crisp the Pate Sucree (Sweet Pastry Crust) is and how it complements the rich vanilla pastry cream and the fresh strawberries and kiwis. This tart is an excellent dessert for any occasion that leaves others hungry for more.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 8 slice
Calories: 282 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
French
Ingredients
For the Fruit Tart:
- 1 Pate Sucree Crust
For the Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups whole milk or half and half
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar divided
- 25 g (3 tablespoons) cornstarch
- 1 large egg , room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks , room temperature
- 14 g (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 15 ml (3 teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
- 6 kiwis , peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 pound fresh strawberries , sliced
For the Apricot glaze:
- 83 g (¼ cup) Orange Marmalade or Apricot Preserves such as Bonne Maman
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
For the Pastry Crust: Click Pate Sucree Recipe.
For the Pastry Cream:
- Heat the milk, salt, and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, occasionally stirring until just before it comes to a boil (when you see bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan) for about 5 minutes.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolk until thick, creamy, and pale yellow, for about 2 minutes. While constantly whisking, slowly pour ⅓ cup of the milk into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs.
- When the milk is all whisked into the egg mixture, return everything to the saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously until it thickens into a creamy pudding consistency, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Don't let it boil!
- Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract and keep stirring until the butter melts. Then immediately pour the pastry cream into a heatproof bowl. 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 or until cold before using.
Cup of Yum
To Assemble:
- Whisk the pastry cream until smooth and spread evenly into the pate sucree with an offset spatula. Arrange the strawberries and kiwi in whatever design you prefer. You can do concentric circles, rows, or randomly piled over the top of the pastry cream. Once finished assembling the tart, there should be no cream visible.
- In a small saucepan, warm the apricot preserve with 1 tablespoon of water over medium heat, whisking, until thin. Alternatively, you can warm it in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. (If the preserve is chunky, you can strain it through a sieve).
- 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 fruits. The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled, or will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
Notes
- How to Store
- How to Store
- Cover the fruit tart loosely with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to store the fruit tart. Store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. The fruit tart is best enjoyed on the same day it is assembled to maintain its crispness. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remember that the longer it sits, the crust may become slightly softer as it absorbs moisture from the filling. Before serving leftover tart, let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes to enhance its flavors.
- Cover the fruit tart loosely with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to store the fruit tart. Store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. The fruit tart is best enjoyed on the same day it is assembled to maintain its crispness. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remember that the longer it sits, the crust may become slightly softer as it absorbs moisture from the filling. Before serving leftover tart, let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes to enhance its flavors.
- Make-Ahead
- Make-Ahead
- To make the fruit tart beforehand, prepare the components separately and assemble them closer to serving. The pastry crust can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The pastry cream can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated until ready. Before assembling the tart, give the pastry cream a good whisk to make it smooth and spreadable.
- To make the fruit tart beforehand, prepare the components separately and assemble them closer to serving. The pastry crust can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The pastry cream can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated until ready. Before assembling the tart, give the pastry cream a good whisk to make it smooth and spreadable.
- When ready to serve, assemble the tart by spreading the pastry cream onto the crust and arranging the fresh fruits. This make-ahead approach saves time and ensures a fresh and delicious fruit tart when it's time to enjoy.
- When ready to serve, assemble the tart by spreading the pastry cream onto the crust and arranging the fresh fruits. This make-ahead approach saves time and ensures a fresh and delicious fruit tart when it's time to enjoy.
- How to Freeze
- How to Freeze
- I wouldn't recommend it; in my opinion, Fruit tarts don't stand up well to freezing.
- I wouldn't recommend it; in my opinion, Fruit tarts don't stand up well to freezing.
- Notes:
- The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled, or will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.