French Fruit Tart



Take me into any Patisserie and the one pastry that will catch my eye every time are the French Fruit Tarts. Fresh fruit atop smooth pastry cream encased in a buttery sweet pastry - that has and always be my choice of dessert. And so it was only a matter of time that I tried to replicate this relatively delicate dessert in the  comforts of my own kitchen. 



I haven't had the best track record with regards to pastry making but this recipe courtesy of JoyofBaking yielded perfect, Patisserie like sweet crust pastry with minimal effort. And the aroma emitted from the oven during the baking process was mouth watering! This recipe is definitely a keeper and one which I will be using many times in the near future!

Making the pastry cream/creme patisserie was a breeze too - maybe I was having a good day in the kitchen; as it took all of 10 minutes for the cream to come together. The only piece of advice I would impart is to keep an eye on the cream at all times when cooking as there is a risk that if left too long on heat, or if the heat is too high, the pastry cream may curdle.
I also learnt that to prevent the crust from turning soggy, a glaze is spread over it to act as a sealant. I used a strawberry jam glaze this time around but am quite tempted to go for the chocolate option the next time around! Think melted chocolate (or Nutella?), fresh fruit and creme patisserie yummm!



Coming from a land full of exotic fruits, it seemed only right to go local with the topping. My initial plan was to use mangoes, lychees and dragon fruit and I envisioned the myriad of colours in a circular pattern however while assembling the layer of fruits, I realised that the contrast of the deep red dragon fruit would look just as gorgeous next to the white flesh of the lychees. And I was right :)


The tart disappeared within 24 hours and was such a hit with my cousins that I may have to make another one for the BBQ we're having this weekend!

French Fruit Tart

Makes one 9-inch tart

Recipe from Joy of Baking

Sweet Crust Pastry

195 g all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
113 g unsalted butter, room temperature
50 g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
  1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk briefly so that flour remains light.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg gradually and beat until just incorporated. 
  4. Add the flour in one go and mix until the dough forms a  rough ball.
  5. Remove and flatten dough to form a disk. 
  6. Wrap in cling film and leave in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill. (Or 15 minutes in freezer)
  7. Lightly butter and flour a 9" inch tart tin with a removable bottom.
  8. Evenly roll out the chilled dough and place it over the tin.
  9. Pat the dough out evenly, ensuring all ridges are covered. Cover with cling film and freeze for a further 15 minutes.
  10. Pre-heat oven to 200C. Prick the dough with a fork to prevent dough from puffing up during baking process.
  11. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.
  12. Remove and cool completely before filling.
Creme Patisserie

* this can be made a couple of days in advance and refrigerated.

300 ml full-fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
50 g caster sugar
20 g all purpose flour
20 g corn flour (acts as thickener)
  1. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until incorporated. Immediately add all purpose and corn flours (which have been sieved) and mix well until a smooth paste is obtained.
  2. In a saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form. Remove from heat and slowly add to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking in the mixture, which will form lumps. If there are lumps, pour mixture through a strainer.
  3. Next, pour the egg mixture into a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the custard comes together, whisking constantly.
  4. Continue to whisk until custard becomes thick. Add the vanilla extract.
  5. Pour into a clean bowl and cover with cling film immediately to prevent a crust from forming.
  6. Leave to cool completely before using/refrigerating.
Jam Glaze

100 g strawberry jam
1 tbsp water
  1. Heat jam and water in a small saucepan over a low heat until diluted. 
  2. Remove from heat and leave to cool before brushing over cooled pastry, saving some to be brushed over the fruit topping.
Fruit Topping

Canned lychees
½ red dragon fruit, cubed

Assembly
  1. Remove tart from tin by gently pushing the bottom center upwards.
  2. Generously brush bottom and sides with jam glaze.
  3. Fill with creme pattistiere.
  4. Arrange fruits according to desired pattern.
  5. Brush remaining glaze over the fruits.
  6. Best served chilled.