Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Fruit Tart


I have been a bad, bad blogger. I have completely neglected my blog and yours, but now I'm back. I'm totally blaming it on being entranced by the Twilight book series. Well, the first three books, I should have laid the last one down and tended to the blog because it was a total let down.

Please accept my apology with this delicious and
summery fruit tart. The crust is a wonderful shortbread crust. The filling is a sweet, smooth, delectable pastry cream that is sure to please. Is it wrong that I can be found standing in front of an opened refrigerator eating spoonfuls of pastry cream out of the container??? Such a temptation and it does happen!

I decorate the tart as if I would arrange a fruit basket or platter. I finish it off by brushing apricot glaze atop the berries.


On a totally unrelated note...once you've visited me stop by and visit Sharon at Culinary Adventures Of A New Wife. Not only is it a great blog and is featuring a fabulous pasta dish at the moment but there is also a contest winning recipe submitted by yours truly in her current post! Sharing recipes is so great.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Pastry Shell
Fits a 9 inch tart pan
Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. flour, sifted
pinch salt
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • In a bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar until just combined.
  • Add vanilla
  • Turn mixer onto low speed and add sifted flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until dough starts to come together.
  • Dump onto floured surface and shape into a flat disk.
  • Press dough into tart pan, making sure the edges are flat.
  • Chill until firm. Butter one side of a square of parchment paper that will fit into tart shell and place it, buttered side down, on the chilled pastry. Fill with rice, beans or pie weights.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, prick tart all over with tines of a fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature.
Pastry Cream
adapted from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
make 2 1/2 cups

6 extra large egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
2 cups whole milk
2 T. unsalted butter
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. heavy cream
1 t. Bacardi golden rum
  • Combine sugar and cornstarch in bowl of electric mixer and rub them together using your hands.
  • Add egg yolks and beat using paddle attachment, until mixture is pale yellow and falls back into the bowl in a ribbon.
  • Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan and , with the mixer on low, slowly pour it into the egg mixture. Then pour mixture back into the saucepan.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon, until mixture is thick, bringing mixture slowly to a boil.
  • Once mixture is to a boil, cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
  • Remove from heat and mix in butter, vanilla, cream and rum.
  • Strain into storage container. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until cold.
Assembly
  • Fill tart shell with pastry cream.
  • Add seasonal fruit.
  • Brush with glaze. (Melted Apricot or Currant Jelly thinned out with hot tap water)

4 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Love all of the overabundance of fruit this time of year!!

Bunny said...

Your tart is beautiful!! I understand totally about the eating the pastry cream out of the container thing baby girl, are we related!

Kristen said...

I've only made it through the first Twilight book. I was totally sucked in and neglected my kids for 2 days as I read it!
I can't get sucked in again, so am holding off on reading any more!

Jane said...

Wow--that's a extremely beautiful, bright, and colorful fruit tart!

Very, very nice blog you have. I found it via Bunny's Warm Oven (which is so lovable, don't you think?). Sure I'll be back to visit again!

Jane