Description
Mini Fruit Tarts featuring a crisp buttery pastry shell filled with smooth Italian pastry cream, topped with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and kiwi, finished with a shiny apricot glaze. Perfect for an elegant dessert or a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry Cream
- 1 ½ cups (354 ml) whole milk
- 1 strip lemon rind
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry Dough
- 4 ounces (120 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
Topping & Glaze
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam or conserve
- Water as needed
- 4 oz (115 g) blueberries
- 4 oz (115 g) raspberries
- 2 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Heat Milk and Infuse Lemon: Heat the milk with the lemon zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling, then remove from heat to infuse flavor.
- Mix Egg Yolks with Sugar and Flour: In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and flour until smooth to create a base for the pastry cream.
- Temper Egg Mixture: Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture to raise the temperature without curdling, then stir in vanilla extract.
- Cook Pastry Cream: Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened and boiling; simmer for 1 minute to cook the flour thoroughly.
- Cool Pastry Cream: Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation, cool for 10-15 minutes, then refrigerate until fully chilled.
- Prepare Pastry Dough – Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy, then add sugar and lemon zest and beat until combined.
- Add Egg: Lightly beat the egg, gradually add it to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition to incorporate smoothly.
- Incorporate Flour and Salt: Using a wooden spoon, mix in flour and salt until combined, then knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth.
- Chill Dough: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and firm the dough.
- Prepare Tart Shells: Spray mini tart pans with non-stick spray, roll out half the chilled dough to ¼ inch thickness between parchment paper, cut circles to fit pans.
- Fit and Freeze Shells: Press dough circles into tart pans, trim edges, prick bases with a fork to prevent puffing, then freeze for 30 minutes for better shape retention during baking.
- Bake Tart Shells: Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC); bake tart shells for 12-14 minutes until golden around edges; cool on a wire rack.
- Prepare Apricot Glaze: Heat apricot jam in microwave until liquid, strain to remove solids, thin with water if necessary to make brushable glaze.
- Assemble Tarts: Spoon chilled pastry cream evenly into cooled tart shells, smoothing the surface.
- Add Fruit Topping: Arrange blueberries, raspberries, and kiwi slices attractively on top of the pastry cream, pressing gently to set.
- Glaze Fruit: Lightly brush the fruit topping with apricot glaze to add shine and preserve freshness.
- Chill Before Serving: Refrigerate the assembled tarts until ready to serve to set the cream and glaze.
Notes
- Make sure the milk is hot but not boiling when whisking into eggs to avoid curdling.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to prevent a skin forming during cooling.
- Freezing tart shells before baking helps maintain their shape and prevents shrinking.
- Using room temperature ingredients (butter, egg) helps create a smoother dough.
- Apricot glaze can be substituted with other clear fruit jams for variation.
- Store assembled tarts in the refrigerator and consume within 1-2 days for best freshness.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
