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| Fresh fruit tart with kiwi, raspberries, and blueberries on vanilla pastry cream. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
When selecting strawberries, which reach their peak in late spring or early summer, look for deep-red berries with a strong strawberry scent. Avoid large berries with white shoulders under the green leaves, they are usually woody and lack flavor. To prepare the berries for use, remove the leaves, rinse the fruit gently, and pat dry with a paper towel. With a small, sharp knife, remove the stem and the white core if there is one, in the center of the berry. Then cut as directed.
CLASSIC FRUIT TART
You will need:
For the pastry cream:
1 1/2 cup (12 fl oz/375 ml) whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (3 oz/90 g) sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
1.8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (essence)
For the fruit topping:
1 pc mango, peeled and cut into slices 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
2 cup (8 oz/250 g) strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) raspberries
2 or 3 kiwi fruits, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into slices
1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) blueberries
1/3 cup (3 1/2 oz/105 g) apricot jam
Here's how:
Fold the dough round in half and transfer to a 9 1/2-inch (24-cm) tart pan with removable bottom. Unfold and ease into the pan, patting it firmly into the bottom and sides. Trim off any excess dough. Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the tart shell with foil and cover the bottom with pie weights. Bake until the dough is set and dry, about 25 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue baking until the crust is golden, about 10 minutes more. Let cool.
To make the pastry cream, in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, beat the milk until tiny bubbles start to appear. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and salt and whisk well. Gradually pour half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to avoid curdling the yolks. Whisk in the remaining milk and return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a puddinglike consistency, 8-10 minutes. (Do not let it boil.) Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, 2-3 hours.
To assemble the tart, stir the chilled pastry cream until smooth. Spoon the pastry cream into the bottom of the cooled tart shell and spread evenly. Overlap the mango slices in a ring around the rim of the tart. Arrange the strawberry halves, cut side down, as a second ring inside the first, and arrange the raspberries in a third ring. Overlap the kiwifruit slices in a fourth concentric ring, and fill the hole at the center with the blueberries.
In a saucepan over low heat, heat the apricot jam until it liquefies. Strain into a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the fruit with a thin coating of the jam. Serve the tart at room temperature.
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