French Fruit Tart Recipe
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4.9
316 reviews
Excellent
French Fruit Tart Recipe
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This French Fruit Tart features a crisp pastry crust filled with silky, smooth pastry cream and topped with an array of fresh fruits like kiwi, strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries, and raspberries. The creamy custard base pairs beautifully with the bright, juicy fruit toppings for a balanced dessert combining richness and lightness.
Description
The tart consists of a sweet pastry crust, made from flour, powdered sugar, cold butter, and egg yolk, mixed and baked until golden and crisp. The pastry cream filling is prepared by heating milk and cream with sugar, then tempering in egg yolks mixed with cornstarch and sugar to create a thick, smooth custard. Butter and vanilla bean paste are folded in for richness and flavor before chilling until firm.
Once the crust is cooled and the pastry cream set, the tart is assembled by layering fresh, sliced fruits artistically on top, then glazing with warmed apple jelly or apricot preserves to provide a shiny finish and additional sweetness.
This dessert is well suited for serving at special occasions or as a refined treat. It combines textures of crisp crust, creamy filling, and fresh fruit. The fruit selection can be adjusted based on seasonality or preference.
The recipe notes recommend options for make-ahead preparation, such as baking and freezing the crust ahead of time and making pastry cream in advance. Spreading melted chocolate on the crust base before filling can prevent sogginess. The tart is best enjoyed fresh but keeps well refrigerated for a few days.
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Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk whole
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided, 100g
- Pinch salt
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 egg yolk
- 4 Tablespoons butter cut into chunks, cold, salted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Pastry Crust
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 156g
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar 65g
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons butter cut into chunks, cold, salted
Topping
- 3 kiwi peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 3/8-inch thick
- 10-12 strawberries hulled and sliced in half
- 1/2 cup mandarin orange drained
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup raspberry
- 1/2 cup apple jelly warmed, or apricot preserves
Instructions
Pastry Cream
- Combine the milk, cream, and half of the sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid comes to a simmer.
- As the liquid heats, whisk together the remaining sugar, salt, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until light and creamy.
- Once the milk mixture is hot, slowly whisk about 1 cup of the liquid into the egg mixture to temper the yolks. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk mixture and , reduce the heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the pastry cream is thick and a few bubbles start to pop on the surface, then remove from the heat.
- Remove the pastry cream from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, then transfer to a bowl and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly onto the surface of the pastry cream so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 3 hours.
Tart Shell
- Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food process and briefly process to combine. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture and pulse to cut into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
- While the food process is running, add the liquid through the feed tube and continue to process just until the dough comes together around the blade.
- Turn out the tart dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 6-inch disk, then wrap it tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let sit out on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.
- Roll out the pastry crust on a lightly floured surface until it is slightly larger than your tart pan (mine is a 9-inch pan). Carefully transfer the dough to the pan by rolling it onto the rolling pin, then gently easing the dough into the pan, pressing into the corners and fluted sides of the pan.
- Run the rolling pin over the top of the pan so that the excess dough gets cut off on the edge of the pin, making a clean edge. Patch any edges that are too thin with excess dough, trimming away the edge again as necessary. Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake the tart shell, heat oven to 375 degrees F. Press a double layer of foil into the frozen tart shell, covering the edges of the pan and filling the tart shell with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, then carefully remove the pie weights and foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the tart shell is fully baked and golden. Cool completely before filling.
Tart Assembly
- When the tart shell is completely cooled, spread the pastry cream over the bottom of the shell. Arrange the fruit in a decorative fashion over the cream, overlapping the sliced kiwi or mandarin oranges, and mounding raspberries or blueberries in the center of the tart.
- Melt the jelly or preserves in a small saucepan or the microwave, stirring until smooth. Use a pastry brush to gently dab the melted jelly over the fruit. You may not use all of the jelly. Slice and serve.
Equipments used:
Notes
- For make-ahead, bake and freeze the crust separately for up to 1 month or prepare the pastry cream up to 3-4 days in advance and refrigerate.
- Spreading melted chocolate on the baked crust before filling helps prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
- Use warmed apple jelly or apricot preserves to glaze the fresh fruit topping for shine and added sweetness.
- The tart is best enjoyed the day it's assembled but remains good refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
- Substitutions for the dairy in pastry cream include using half-and-half or mixing low-fat milk with heavy cream.
- If vanilla bean paste is unavailable, regular vanilla extract can be used instead.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
317kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
50g
(17%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
12g
(18%)
Saturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
126mg
(42%)
Sodium
168mg
(7%)
Potassium
246mg
(5%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
27g
(54%)
Vitamin A
807IU
(16%)
Vitamin C
31mg
(34%)
Calcium
77mg
(8%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 317 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 317kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 126mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 168mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 246mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 27g | 54% |
| Vitamin A | 807IU | 16% |
| Vitamin C | 31mg | 34% |
| Calcium | 77mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
316 reviews
Excellent
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