Fresh Summer Fruit Tart Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, cornmeal and lemon juice to form a dough. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 425° for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack., For filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Arrange berries or fruit over filling. Refrigerate while preparing glaze., For fruit glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, apricot nectar and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Cool; brush over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream. In the bowl of a food processor with a blade attachment, pulse the flour, butter, sugar and salt until no big chunks of butter remain. Slowly add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture. Blend to combine but don't overwork the dough.
• Remove the dough and, turning it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it 4 or 5 times to incorporate.
• Divide the dough in half if making one large tart. Divide the dough into four pieces if making mini tarts. Flatten the dough pieces into discs with your hands, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. (Freeze any remaining pieces for another project for up to 3 months.)
• Make the pastry cream: Put a damp kitchen towel under a medium bowl and whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar until the yolks are lighter in color, about 2 minutes. (The towel will ensure the bowl doesn't slide around.) Add the cornstarch and salt, whisk again, and set the bowl aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and the remaining sugar 1/4 cup sugar and cook until the mixture almost boils, 4 to 5 minutes. With one hand, start whisking the egg yolk mixture; with the other hand, slowly drizzle the hot milk into the bowl, whisking until all the milk is incorporated.
• Pour the custard back into the saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, on medium-high heat, until the mixture is thick and one bubble plops up on top, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the custard from the heat and pour into a clean medium bowl. Don't scrape the pot if the bottom looks burned or like scrambled eggs. Now, stir in the butter and vanilla. Keep stirring until the butter melts. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl so it is touching the pastry cream, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake the tart shell or shells: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a circle (about 9 inches across and 1/2 inch thick for one large tart and about 6 inches across and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick for four mini tarts.
• Lay the dough onto the tart pan, and then using your fingers, gently press it down. Try not to tear the dough or make it too thin. Ideally, it should be an even thickness all the way across.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the edges so the dough is perfectly even with the top of the tart shell (see Cook's Note). Place the tart shell on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes in the bottom of the tart shell to keep bubbles from forming during baking. Refrigerate the tart shell for 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tart shells if using.
• Remove the pan or pans from the fridge and lay a piece of parchment over the chilled dough. Fill the uncooked tart shell with pie weights or dried beans or uncooked rice.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then, using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Return the baking sheet to the oven, continuing to bake until the crust is golden brown, 5 to 8 more minutes. Let the pan or pans cool on a wire rack.
• Make the glaze and finish the tart: In a medium pot over medium heat, cook the apricot jam and water. Stir with a fork as it cooks until the mixture is a thin, shiny liquid, about 3 minutes.
• Take the pastry cream from the fridge and, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat the pastry cream to loosen it up. Spread the pastry cream in a thin 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer on the bottom of the tart shell.
• Carefully cut the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, mangos and figs. Arrange the fruit so there is no visible pastry cream. (You can make the tart look awesome by laying the fruit in cool patterns.)
• Once the fruit is arranged, use a soft pastry brush to paint it with the warm apricot glaze. Don't leave any bare spots. Make sure to glaze all the fruit. Take your time.
• Cut and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

Steps:

• Mix water and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
• Stir 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture forms fine crumbs. Do not overmix, or pastry will be tough. Stir in enough vanilla water to pull dough together. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Roll dough out into a 12-inch circle. Gently transfer to an 11-inch tart pan. Pat dough into place, cutting off edges and aligning pastry along the edges of the pan. Freeze pastry shell until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake pastry shell in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Prick any large bubbles with the tip of a knife. Allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.
• Spread filling into the cooled tart shell, smoothing out to reach the edges. Arrange mandarin oranges, strawberries, kiwi slices, and berries over the top, covering as much of the filling as possible. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Crust:.
• Mix together the flour and brown sugar in a food processor (or mix by hand). Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut butter in by hand). Add the water slowly while running the processor (or sprinkle and toss while mixing by hand) until moistened. Form into a ball, and press firmly and evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely.
• Cream filing:.
• In a medium mixing bowl stir together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla till smooth. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours or till ready to fill tart shell.
• Assemble tart:.
• Sprinkle mint onto pastry. Using a spoon, spread cream filling evenly over the tart shell. Arrange fresh fruit on the filling. In a small saucepan heat jam just till melted. Cool. Drizzle melted jam over the fruit. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Best if used within a day or two.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 tart pans.
• Blend flour, butter, and sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until combined. Divide mixture evenly and press into the bottoms of the prepared tart pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• While crusts are cooling, beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled crusts. Arrange strawberries, blackberries, and kiwis on tart in desired design.
• Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Pour in water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Let glaze cool completely.
• Glaze the entire top of each tart gently using a pastry brush.