Description
These Breakfast Fruit Tarts are a delightful and visually stunning treat, combining a buttery, flaky tart crust with a smooth, luscious vanilla pastry cream and an array of fresh, vibrant fruits. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a special dessert, these tarts are easy to make yet impressively elegant, glazing the fruit with a shiny apricot jam topping for extra sweetness and shine.
Ingredients
Scale
Tart Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4–6 tablespoons ice water
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit Topping and Glaze
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
- 1/4 cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt to evenly distribute the ingredients for the tart dough.
- Cut in the Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, quickly cut the butter into the flour until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add Ice Water: Gradually add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently after each addition. Add just enough water until the dough begins to come together without overmixing.
- Form the Dough: Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently shape it into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours to chill.
- Roll Out the Dough: After chilling, roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick for an even tart shell thickness.
- Cut and Shape Tart Shells: Cut dough circles larger than your tart pans and gently press them into the pans, pressing firmly on the sides and bottom and trimming excess edges.
- Dock the Crusts: Prick the bottom of each tart shell several times with a fork to prevent bubbling during baking.
- Chill Again: Refrigerate the shaped tart shells for another 15 minutes to firm up the dough before baking.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the tart shells.
- Blind Bake: Line tart shells with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans to keep the crusts flat during baking.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
- Remove Weights: Carefully take out the parchment paper and pie weights from the tart shells.
- Continue Baking: Return tart shells to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes to fully cook the bottoms until golden brown.
- Cool Completely: Remove from oven and let tart shells cool completely in pans to hold their shape.
- Infuse the Milk: In a medium saucepan, heat milk with half of the sugar (1/4 cup) over medium heat until simmering; stir occasionally to dissolve sugar but avoid boiling.
- Whisk Egg Yolks and Sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar, cornstarch, and salt until pale and smooth for your custard base.
- Temper the Egg Yolks: Slowly add a small amount of hot milk into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
- Combine and Cook: Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened and boiling; continue whisking 1-2 minutes after boiling to ensure smoothness.
- Remove from Heat: Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract for richness and flavor.
- Cool and Chill: Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl, cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until chilled and set.
- Fill the Tart Shells: Once both tart shells and pastry cream are cooled, spoon the custard evenly into each tart shell.
- Arrange the Fruit: Decoratively arrange fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi slices, and mandarin segments atop the filled pastry cream.
- Prepare the Glaze: Warm apricot jam and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth and melted to create a glossy fruit glaze.
- Glaze the Fruit: Lightly brush the apricot glaze over the arranged fruit to add shine and a touch of sweetness.
- Chill (Optional): Refrigerate the assembled fruit tarts for at least 30 minutes to set the glaze and meld flavors before serving.
- Serve: Serve the fruit tarts chilled and enjoy the fresh, creamy, and buttery flavors combined in every bite!
Notes
- Use cold butter and ice water to ensure a flaky tart crust.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough to keep it tender.
- Blind baking prevents soggy bottoms in the tart shells.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream surface to prevent skin formation while chilling.
- Arrange fruit just before serving to keep it fresh and vibrant.
- Store leftover tarts refrigerated and consume within 2 days for best quality.
- You can substitute the fresh fruit with your seasonal favorites.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French-inspired
