Fresh Fruit Tart for Summer

Hey friends! I was a guest over at Shaken Together two weeks ago and today I'm sharing the dessert I made with you! Now, I know this is another patriotic post, however, this dessert can be made for any occasion. All you have to do is arrange the fruit any way you want! You can also use more than just blueberries and straeberries. Bananas, kiwi, raspberries...the possibilities are endless!

So, without further ado...

Red, White, & Blueberry Fruit Tart

To start, use a good quality tart pan (if you don't have one, you could easily use a pie plate or even, in a pinch, a cake plate). Spray the pan with cooking spray and line with your pie dough. I have a confession. I buy mine. I know...I know. I'm a pastry chef who doesn't make her own pie dough. However, I just don't think the small difference in taste or pride or whatever it is that drives people to do it is worth the time and effort. I've found that Publix, Pillsbury, and even the brand at Sweetbay are just as tasty and oh so easier to deal with. You'll find what I'm talking about in the refrigerated dough section of the grocery store and they usually come in a package of two. They're rolled up so all you have to do is remove the dough from the box and plastic sleeve, roll it out, shape it however you want, and voila! Done is done. If you have to make it from scratch, by all means, do so. In fact, you can come over to my house and make it for me from now on! ;)

Anyway, whatever dough you use, press it into your pan, poking holes in it with a fork, place a layer of either aluminum foil or wax paper on it, fill it with dry beans or rice, and bake until golden brown. 

Once the crust is baked, set aside and let it cool.

Now, on to the pudding (or creme patisserie, aka pastry cream, if you wanna be fancy). This stuff is amazing and totally worth the effort and time to make it! This is what pudding should taste like!

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk (don't skimp on the fat, use whole, you'll thank me later)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Warm milk & 1/4 cup sugar over medium heat just until it starts to steam and you see little bubbles forming on top. Meanwhile, whisk yolks, whole egg, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth and pale yellow in color. Next, pour half of milk into egg mixture while whisking to temper eggs. Pour egg mixture into pan with the rest of the milk and heat, whisking constantly, until bubbling and thick, pudding-like in texture. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter; mix until butter is melted. Pour into pie crust, cover with plastic wrap making sure plastic touches top of pudding to prevent a film from forming, and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. 

The day that you are serving, place your fruit in whatever design you want and you're ready to enjoy!

For the star design, here's what I did:

I cut out a parchment round the size of my pan. Then, I drew a star on the parchment and cut it out. I used this template for placing my fruit on the tart, starting with the blueberries, then moving on to the strawberries. I kept filling in fruit until I reached the look I wanted. You could also make an American flag. When I'm making this dessert for something other than a patriotic holiday, I usually add kiwi, raspberries, and bananas and alternate the pattern for a beautiful presentation. The possibilities are endless!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about this dessert but, more importantly, that you try it for yourself. It really is delicious and perfect for summer!!