Name: Fresh Fruit Tarts
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 3/4 pound (340g) unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 cups milk; 4 tablespoons cornstarch; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; a pinch of salt; 4 egg yolks; 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; assorted berries; kiwi; your favorite fresh fruit; The glaze: 2 tablespoons apricot jam plus 1/4 cup water; Tart Pans

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Fresh fruit, a smooth, luxurious cream filling, and a buttery shortbread crust!

Watch the Video:

These beautiful mini fresh fruit tarts, aka tartlets, are made with a simple buttery shortbread crust, easy creamy vanilla pastry cream, and fresh fruit. I love making this in the summertime because berries are in season and so delicious. You can use your favorite fruit any time of the year, but berries, kiwi, and orange slices are the most popular. A lot of it can be made ahead of time, so all you need to do is assemble them on the day of entertaining and brush them with an apricot glaze to add a glossy shine. Impress your friends and family all summer with these easy tarts!

shortbread crust, vanilla pastry cream, and berries

Why you’ll make tarts all summer!

Crisp shortbread cookie crust

Lucious smooth and creamy vanilla custard

Fresh sweet berries

Shiny apricot glaze

Beautiful, easy-to-make fruit tarts that will impress your guests every time you make them!

Gather your ingredients

For the Crust:

Unsalted butter -softened at room temperature
Granulated sugar
Salt
Pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour

For the Cream:

Milk
Cornstarch
Granulated sugar
Salt
Egg yolks
Heavy whipping cream
Pure vanilla extract -good quality because vanilla is the prominent flavor
Unsalted butter

The Fruits and Topping:

Assorted berries -blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Kiwi
Your favorite fresh fruit
The glaze: 2 tablespoons apricot jam plus 1/4 cup water
Tart Pans

How to make Fresh Fruit Tarts

Make the crust:

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until fluffy.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Add the flour to the butter mixture in a few batches beating on low speed until incorporated and until a dough has formed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pinch off tennis ball-sized pieces.
Press the dough into the tart pans. (See Video)
Place the tart pans onto a baking tray and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Pastry Cream:

Add the milk, salt, and half the sugar to a saucepan.
Heat until scalding hot.
Combine the yolks, remaining sugar, cornstarch, and cream in a bowl and whisk together.
Add a bit of the hot milk to the egg mixture in a slow stream while whisking together constantly.
Transfer the mixture back into the pot and cook over medium-low heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.
Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.
Whisk together until incorporated and pass it through a strainer into a bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
Pierce the bottom of the tarts with a fork (see video) and bake on the center rack for 10-15 minutes.
Carefully remove them from the oven and pierce them once again with a fork to release the steam so that they settle.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until slightly golden.
Allow them to cool completely, and carefully remove them from the tart pans.
Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a star decorating tip with the pastry cream.
Fill the shortbread crusts with pastry cream.
Arrange the fruits over the cream.
Make the apricot glaze by whisking the jam together with the water in a small saucepan.
Cook it until the glaze is smooth.
Brush the tops of the fruit with the apricot glaze and serve.

instead of glaze, confectioner’s sugar can be used as a garnish

Make-Ahead Freezer Instructions

These fruit tarts’ components can be made ahead for easy assembly. However, once the pastries are assembled, they should be served immediately or placed in the refrigerator for up to a couple of hours. The crust can be assembled in the tart pans and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Once frozen, wrap the sheet tray or individual tart pans with plastic so they do not absorb freezer odors. If you don’t want to plan that far in advance, the crust can be baked a day ahead. Just remove them from the tart pans and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to assemble. The pastry cream can be made a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. Just remember to hide it in the back of the refrigerator so half of it doesn’t “mysteriously” disappear!

Serving

If you have kids in the house, gather them to help you top these tarts with the fruit. They can design their own to eat immediately or help you complete them all for serving. Arrange the fruit in an attractive way, pattern, or particular design based on your chosen fruit. I typically fit as many on top as possible in a single layer if I use one berry. When I mix berries, I prefer a pattern or two and stick with it so they complement each other on the serving plate. Please do what you like best, make some hot coffee, and send me pictures on Instagram. I may copy your design next time! Kali Orexi!

Fresh Fruit Tarts

Yield: 12 small tarts

Fresh fruit, a smooth luxurious cream filling, and a buttery shortbread crust. This dessert is so delicious.