Fruit Tarts Recipes

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 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:

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing into edges. Using a sharp paring knife, trim dough flush with pan. Chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are just beginning to turn golden, about 40 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights; continue baking until deep golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool tart shell completely on wire rack.
• Meanwhile, place heavy cream and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat until soft peaks form. Working in batches, gently fold whipped cream into pastry cream; set aside.
• Place jelly or jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. Set glaze aside to cool slightly.
• Spoon pastry cream mixture into cooled tart shell and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Top with berries; brush berries with glaze. Tart is best served the day it is made.

Steps:

• Place preserves in a small microwave safe bowl, microwave at high for 1 minute or until melted.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons pudding onto each crust and top each serving with fruit.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon preserves over each tart.
• Chill until ready to serve.

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:

• 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.