Fruit Tartlets Recipes

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:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface 1/8 inch thick. Fill twelve 1 3/4-by-4-inch barquette tartlet molds and twelve 1 3/4-by-3 3/8-inch rectangular molds. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Line the tart shells with a second mold, gently pressing the second mold into the dough; bake 15 minutes. Remove top mold; reduce oven to 350 degrees. Return tart shells to oven, and bake until golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven; place on a rack until completely cool.
• For the raspberry tarts, fill 12 barquette tart shells with pastry cream. Arrange raspberries on top, and dust with confectioners' sugar.
• For the mango tarts, pour the lime curd into the rectangular shells. Thinly slice the mango, and arrange over the curd. Serve.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the topping mix, milk and vanilla on low speed until blended. Beat on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping mixture. , Spoon into tart shells; top with fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Line tartlet tins with the pastry (use boat-shaped tins if you have them). Bake blind in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. When cold, brush the inside of the tartlet cases with the melted chocolate and leave to harden.
• Mix together the cream cheese and double cream until very smooth, then add the sugar and vanilla essence. Fill the tartlet cases with the cream mixture and arrange the fruit on top. Brush with the apricot or red currant glaze, depending on the fruit used, and leave to set.
• Sift the flour and salt together and rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the cheese, if using, and bind with a little cold water. Chill for 30 minutes and then roll out and use as above.

Steps:

• Put the cookie dough slices on parchment-lined baking sheets and slightly flatten each one. Bake according to the package instructions, then set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread some onto each cooled cookie. Arrange a kiwi slice, strawberry piece, raspberry and 2 blueberries on top of each. Warm the apple jelly in a small pan over low heat until just loosened, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the fruit with the apple jelly to glaze it, then garnish each with a mint leaf.

Steps:

• Make the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour or up to 3 days. Remove from refrigerator and cut into small pieces. Reknead the dough into a 12-inch log. Cut the log into even pieces; the size of the tartlet molds used will determine how many to cut. For 4 - inch tartlets you'll get 8 to 10 from one dough, for 3-inches about 12, and for miniature about 14 to 16. (For 65mm tartlet rings, cut the log into 12 to 16 pieces.)
• Lightly dust a piece of plastic wrap with flour. Round a piece of dough and place it on the plastic wrap. Cover the dough with another piece of plastic and press with the palm of your hand to flatten. Roll the piece out, flipping the whole thing once or twice, rolling on the other side to keep it even. Roll it out to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. It should be about 3/4-inch larger than the mouth of the tartlet mold. Peel the dough off the plastic and center it over the mold. Using floured fingers, gently press the dough down to the bottom of the mold and against the sides, making it even as you go. If the dough tears or is too thin in places, simply patch it with another small piece of dough. (If using tart rings, rotate the mold on a lightly floured surface as you press the bottom and sides with lightly floured thumbs. Be sure to press along the inside bottom to form a nice square bottom edge.) Place the saran over the top of the mold and press with your hand or a small rolling pin to cut any excess dough off the top. (For rings, simply shave off the excess with a paring knife.) Remove the plastic and, using lightly floured fingers, press the dough up around the sides so that it extends slightly above the rim of the mold. Dock it a few times with a fork. Place in the freezer. (Tart rings must be placed in the freezer on a sheet tray.) Repeat with the remaining dough. Scraps of dough can be chilled and reused. The tarts can be frozen in the molds for up to 5 days.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tartlets on a sheet tray while they are still frozen and bake immediately. It will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. They're ready when the bottoms begin to color and the edges are lightly browned. Remove the molds from the sheet tray and cool completely on a rack. (If using rings, slip the ring off and transfer the baked shell to the cooling rack with a metal spatula.)
• Tip the cooled shells out of the mold and onto your hand. If they won't come, gently insert the point of a small knife between the shell and the mold to release it. Then invert it onto your hand.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave, until it's about 3/4 melted. Stir to melt completely. Using a dry pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of each tart with the melted chocolate. Chill just until the chocolate sets. You probably won't use all the chocolate.
• Combine the creme fraiche, heavy cream, confectioner's sugar and vanillas in a bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form. Be careful not to get it too stiff. Using a pastry bag fitted with #5 tip, pipe the cream in into the shells about 2/3 full. Top with the fresh fruit and/or berries. (Figs and raspberries are a wonderful combination with the chocolate and creme fraiche.)
• The tartlets can be painted with chocolate as much as a day ahead and filled with the cream up to 4 hours ahead. The fruit, however should be put on within an hour or so of serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Using a 4-in. round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles, rerolling scraps as necessary. Press circles onto bottoms and up sides of ungreased muffin cups., Mix sugar and cornstarch; toss with berries and lemon juice. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into each cup. Bake on a lower oven rack until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 24-26 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack; cool completely., For topping, beat cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl, mix lemon curd, sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon whipped cream; fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon over filling. If desired, top with fresh berries. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: Apricots, peaches, plums, kiwifruit, or gooseberries need to be poached lightly in a sugary syrup.
• Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and redcurrants can be used fresh.
• GLACE for the fruit: Heat apricot jam, for red fruits use redcurrant jelly with a few drops of lemon juice, when dissolved put through a sieve.
• Sift the flour and salt onto a board.
• Make a well in the centre and add all the ingredients.
• With your fingertips, mix together quickly and knead until smooth.
• Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Roll the pastry out and place in greased tartlet tins.
• Chill again.
• Bake blind for 7 minutes.
• Then bake a further 5 minutes until a pale biscuit colour.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Glace the base of the pastry with some of the glace, then place the fruit into the tartlets and glace all over.
• TIP: The tartlets WITHOUT the filling can be baked in advance and stored in an air-tight container for a few days!

Steps:

• Make the Pate Sucree. Make the Pastry Cream and set it aside.
• Remove the pate sucree from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and knead it slightly to make it malleable if it feels stiff. Using a rolling pin, press the dough to flatten it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Generously flick flour over the work surface and the dough. Make sure the surface you are rolling on is well floured so that the dough does not stick to it; likewise, make sure the disk itself is floured well enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking to it. Carefully roll out the disk into a circle about 10 inches in diameter. Roll from the center of the disk outward and gently rotate the disk 90 degrees (a quarter-turn) after each roll to ensure that the disk gets stretched out evenly into a nice circle. Use a bench scraper to help move the dough by scraping underneath the dough and moving it around. Don't worry if the dough breaks a bit, especially toward the edges. You can easily patch these tears up once you've lined the tart pan.
• Once the dough circle is about 10 inches in diameter, dock it by poking it all over with a fork or a pastry docker (see Cook's Note). Roll it gently around the rolling pin, then unfurl it over an 8-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the tart pan, taking care to press into the corners. Trim the edge of the shell even with the top of the tart pan. Use any scraps or odd pieces to patch up any tears or missing bits. Make sure the entire tart pan is completely covered with dough, and press one last time all the way around to ensure that any holes have been patched up.
• Refrigerate the tart shell for at least 30 minutes to let the dough rest; the gluten needs a little time to relax so it doesn't shrink in the oven. (At this point you can wrap the tart shell well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until it is golden brown all around. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. (At this point the tart shell can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
• In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it holds a peak and is thick and soft. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
• Gently pop the tart shell out of the pan. Place the tart shell on a serving plate. (Hint: The tart shell has a tendency to slide around a bit, so anchor it to the plate by putting a small spoonful of the pastry cream mixture directly on the plate before placing the tart shell on it.) Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Stem and quarter the strawberries and place them on top of the cream with one cut side down, spaced randomly but evenly. Peel the kiwi and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/2 -inch-thick half-moons. (If using green grapes instead of kiwis, slice the grapes in half.) Place the kiwi slices in the cream against the cut side of the strawberries. Peel the mango and cut it into thin slices about 1 x 1 inch. Place the mango in the cream next to the kiwi. Slice the blackberries in half if they are large and place them in the cream in random places. Fill the empty spots on the tart with raspberries, blueberries, and any extra mango. The goal is to cover the whole tart with fruit and not have any cream visible. The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled or it will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator; serve within 6 hours.
• 1 large egg yolk (about 20 grams), at room temperature
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and light. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and paddle on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is entirely incorporated. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before using. The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-high heat until just before it comes to a boil, when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. (Mixing the cornstarch into the sugar will prevent it from clumping when you add it to the egg yolks.) Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in the sugar-cornstarch mixture until completely incorporated. Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs.
• When the milk is all whisked into the egg yolk mixture, return everything to the saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously for about 1 minute. At first the mixture will be very frothy and liquid; as it cooks more, it will slowly start to thicken until the frothy bubbles disappear, the mixture starts to steam, and the whole thing become more viscous. After 1 minute, stop whisking every few seconds to see if the mixture has come to a boil. If not, keep whisking vigorously. As soon as you do see it boiling, whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds, then immediately pour the pastry cream through a sieve into an airtight container. Stir in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until cold, before using. The pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Tart shells:.
• Combine like a pie crust, either by hand or processor.
• If using processor, place flour, sugar, butter, and pulse until butter is in small pieces like peas.
• Whisk egg and almond extract together and pour into feed tube.
• Process until dough comes together in a ball.
• Wrap in plastic and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
• When ready to bake, form dough( I use my small cookie scoop to form dough) into tiny balls and press into lightly greased mini tart pans (I use about 2 inch pans in assorted shapes).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or till light brown.
• Lemon filling:.
• Melt butter in top of double boiler pan.
• Add sugar, lemon juice, and eggs and yolks.
• Cook on low until thick, stirring constantly.
• Filling should be like thick pudding.
• To assemble tarts with filling:.
• Put lemon filling into the cooled tart shells and garnish with whipped cream (if desired).

Steps:

• To make the dough, sift the flour and sugar into a bowl.
• Stir in the ground almonds.
• Add the butter and stir in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and milk and work in with a spatula, then mix with your fingers until the dough binds together.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• On a flour counter roll out the dough and use it to line 12 deep tartlets or individiual bioche pans (can also use muffing pans if you can get it to form correctly).
• Prick the bottoms.
• Press a piece of foil into each tartlet, covering the edges, and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.
• Remove the foil and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the filling, place the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and mix together.
• Place a spoonful of filling in each tart shell and arrange the fruit on top.
• Dust with sifted confectioners' sugar and serve.
• Tip #1: You can use store bought tart shells or phyllo dough if you wish (I would recommend following the instructions for cooking that come with the packages).
• Tip #2: You can substitute many different types of fillings, such as mousse, pudding, yogurt, etc.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
• Add flour and mix well.
• Shape into 1 inch balls and press into the bottom and up the sides of greased mini muffin cups.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until very lightly browned.
• Cool for 15 to 20 minutes and then carefully remove from pans.
• Spoon pie filling or preserves into each tart (I use a baby spoon to do this--it's much easier than a regular teaspoon).

Steps:

• To make the crème pâtissière, pour the milk into a pan. Split vanilla pod down its length using a small sharp knife (do not cut in half completely). Twist tip of the knife inside the pod to open out like a book at one end, then run the knife down its length to scrape out seeds. (See step 1)
• Put the seeds and empty pod in a medium-sized pan with the milk and bring slowly to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a couple of mins. (Step 2)
• Put egg yolks, sugar and flour into a bowl. Whisk with a hand electric mixer until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy - it should leave a trail that stays on the surface momentarily when the whisk blades are lifted. This whisking will take about 2 mins. (Step 3)
• Pour about a third of the hot milk into the bowl, whisking on a slow speed all the time until it has all been mixed in. Now whisk in the remaining milk, removing pod. (Step 4)
• Return the mixture to the pan, scraping it out of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time, until the custard is thickened, smooth and glossy. At first, it will look a bit lumpy, but persevere - keep stirring and it will become smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 mins, stirring. (Step 5)
• Remove the crème pâtissière from the heat. Beat in the butter until it has melted, then scrape into a bowl. Cover the surface of the crème pâtissière directly with cling film (this will stop a skin forming). Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge until needed. (Step 6)
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Divide the pastry into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each one to line a 7-8cm deep fluted tartlet tin, trim leaving a little pastry sticking up above the tin. Line each one with a paper cake case and add a layer of baking beans. Put on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden.
• Trim any pastry edges that need it with a small sharp knife. Remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Halve or quarter any large strawberries and remove the stalks from any redcurrants, then mix the fruits together. Fill the pastry cases with crème pâtissière and pile a generous layer of fruits on top. Dust thickly with icing sugar and scatter over some chopped pistachios, if you like.

Steps:

• Start by making the cream filling, you need this chilled to finish your tarts.
• Bring milk to just under a boil, in a heavy bottomed pan. Meanwhile mix egg yolks and sugar together in a heat proof bowl until it resembles a paste.
• Sift flour and cornstarch into eggs. Stir into eggs, the eggs will be like a thick. Paste. Stir out any lumps.
• add a small stream of the scalded milk to eggs,being careful not to add too much, as the eggs will cook and curdle.
• once the egg mixture is tempered, put the eggs/milk mixture into the pan with the rest of the milk, on medium heat. Stir or whisk constantly. The flour and starch will quickly thicken the creme. Do not stop stirring. Make sure you leave the creme to come to a boil, and big bubbles come to the top. Boil for at least 2 minutes, otherwise your creme will taste like flour, and will thin after cooling.
• Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and brandy or other liqueur.
• Put into clean container and cover surface with plastic wrap so that a skin does not form.
• chill.
• Whisk again, or beat with an immersion blender just before assembling your tarts.
• Make pastry dough.
• I use a mixer.
• Beat butter until soft.
• add sugar, beat till light and fluffy.
• Add 1 egg, slightly beaten, mix until just incorporated.
• Whisk salt into flour.
• add flour and salt to mixer all at once and continue to mix on low speed until the mixture forms a ball.
• Divide dough into 6 equal size balls. Press each ball into about a 5 inch disk. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• wit your fingers press the disk into the tart pans, going up the sides. The dough should come up and over the sides, trim excess with a knife. The crust will be about a quarter of an inch, make sure there us no space between the bottom and sides. Repeat for all 6.The
• prick the bottoms with a fork.
• Cover and put in freezer for 30 minutes.
• Bake on a cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 17 minutes. They should be golden brown. Let cool.
• For glaze.
• heat apricot preserves in microwave until bubbly. Use a strainer and a spoon to make sure you remove any chunks from preserve.
• Glaze empty tart shells with apricot jelly.
• For topping.
• Slice kiwi fruit, arrange clean berries by type.
• Assembly.
• Remove tarts from pans and put on serving plates.
• Whisk creme. Fill each tart shell with creme, top with fruit, glaze fruit with pastry brush.
• Cover till ready to serve. Can be made hours ahead and kept in cool or refrigerator.

Steps:

• Stir flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces the size of small peas. Mix in water with a fork just until the dough comes together.
• Toss berries, sugar, flour, and salt together in a bowl to make the filling. Set aside at room temperature.
• Lightly butter or grease 14 muffin cups. Place some dough in each muffin cup and press it against the bottoms and sides to create tart shells that are 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Divide berry filling evenly among the tart shells.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Refrigerate tarts for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
• Bake tarts in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes.