Fruit Tart

Fruit Tart Recipe video – scroll down for printable recipe

Lest ye think I just make whatever food I want to without regard for your feelings, I made this fruit tart in response to a viewer request for a “Summer Berry Tart with Pastry Cream”. Partly because it sounded like a delicious idea that everyone could get behind, but mostly because I don’t do many desserts on here (because I don’t do many desserts in my life) and for that reason, especially appreciate specific dessert requests because I basically have no dessert ideas of my own. So thank David for this berry tart which I am calling a fruit tart because I don’t want to box you in. Use whatever fruits are ripest and freshest and most deliciousest and ye shall be rewarded!

fruit-tart

You could also add different extracts to the pastry cream — almond, coconut, orange, rum, or even an ounce of chocolate melted with the half-and-half for a chocolate pastry cream! — and play with fruit combinations to come up with a whole range of different fruit tarts: PiΓ±a Colada tart; Banana Pudding tart; Creamsicle tart; Strawberry Chocolate tart, and maybe it doesn’t even have to be fruit! German Chocolate Cake tart! For German Chocolate Cake day! Damn, I am so sad I only now thought of that.

The pastry cream can be made and refrigerated up to 48 hours in advance. The crust can be baked the day before. Assemble the tart right before serving, though. It’s best served within an hour. In case you’re wondering, this is the same cream that you’d use in Boston Cream Pie, eclairs, Β and things like that, too.

fruit tart recipe with pastry cream and berries

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Fruit Tart

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  • Author: Hilah Johnson
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8-9 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 baked tart shell (8-9″, square or round, but about 1/2 inch deep)
  • Pastry Cream:
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pats
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (or another flavor) extract
  • About 1 cup sliced fruit of your choosing

Instructions

  1. Have your tart shell made or make it while the pastry cream cools, which is going to take at least 2 hours.
  2. Heat the half-and-half in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat.
  3. While that warms, whisk in a heavy bowl: egg yolks, salt, sugar, flour until smooth. ‘Twill be quite thick. That’s why the weight of the bowl will help you tempering.
  4. Once the half-and-half has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and use a measuring cup to scoop out about 1/3 cup and drizzle it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. There should be no lumps if you’ve drizzled slowly enough and whisked quickly enough.
  5. Turn the pot back on to low heat and now gradually pour the tempered egg yolks into the warm half-and-half, again whisking constantly.
  6. Once it’s all mixed in, the custard will begin to thicken almost immediately.
  7. Continue to cook it over low heat, whisking all the while, for 6-8 minutes or until the whisk dragged through it leaves a trail as if it were parting the seas of custard. (See video)
  8. Increase heat to medium and cook a further minute until large bubbles begin to pop on the surface.
  9. Turn off the heat.
  10. Add butter pats and whisk until melted. Add extract.
  11. Pour into bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Chill 2-48 hours.

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I used the same tart shell recipe from the Blueberry Tart we did a while back. If you have your favorite, you can use that instead, but this one is a real easy shortbread-style pat-in crust.

20 Comments

  1. Paula - bell'alimento on June 11, 2013 at 10:26 am

    This is awesome-sauce. AND you are a magical egg wizard! So glad I got a chance to meet ya in Austin! xoxo

    • Hilah on June 11, 2013 at 10:38 am

      Thanks, Paula! So great to meet you, too! xo

  2. Sanne van den Berg on June 12, 2013 at 10:48 am

    Hey Hilah!
    First I want to say that I’m in love with your videos and photos!
    But, my question:
    Can I replace the 1 cup half-and-half for 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of cream?
    And it’s just normal cream, isn’t it?

    I’d love to hear from you!
    xoxo, from the Netherlands

    • Hilah on June 12, 2013 at 11:01 am

      Hi Sanne!

      Thank you so much for writing! Yes, you can make “half-and-half” using equal parts milk and “whipping” cream – not sure what you call that over there, but I mean cream with 35% butterfat. Hope that helps! These crazy different names for ingredients all over the world drive me bananas!

      xoxo

  3. Steve on June 13, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    $240 worth of pudding! The State is still one of my favorite shows of all time!

    • Hilah on June 13, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      That sketch in particular was EXTREMELY influential on my little brother and me. πŸ™‚

  4. Lena on June 16, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Hi! Sorry i dont understand what is it “1 cup half-and-half”?

    • Hilah on June 17, 2013 at 10:31 am

      Hi Lena,
      1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 236 mL
      “Half and half” is a dairy product with between 19-30% butterfat. It might be called “light cream” in other countries.

  5. leiver on September 8, 2013 at 2:12 am

    can i just start by saying that i LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, you’re so fun to watch, thank you for all the ideas, and recipes i seriously have tried so many of them, they always come put PERFECT, great job keep it up. πŸ™‚

    • Hilah on September 8, 2013 at 12:32 pm

      Hooray! Thank you so much, Leiver! πŸ˜€ Super glad to hear you have had success with my recipes. I hope I continue to make videos you enjoy!

  6. Deneytuazon on February 24, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    Do you cover the party cream right away or let it cool down a bit, cover then refrigerate?

    • Hilah on February 26, 2014 at 9:57 am

      Cover it right away and then refrigerate. That keeps a “skin” from forming on top.

  7. Mahwish on July 21, 2014 at 9:18 am

    HI πŸ™‚ lovely recipe, and i love how candid you are !

    Question, did you blind bake your crust?

    • Hilah on July 21, 2014 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Mahwish! Yes, bake it at 375F for 15 mins.

  8. M. Paula on November 9, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    Hi Hilah,
    I love all your recipes!! I was making the fruit tart and it never thickened. Do you know what might of have been the cause of this??

    Thank you for you help.

    • Hilah on November 10, 2014 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Paula,
      It’s hard to say exactly without seeing it myself, but I would venture that you need to cook it longer next time. Usually with flour-thickened sauces that is the problem.

  9. Veronica on February 9, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    Do you recommend any flavor additions to the pastry cream if I want to experiment? I want to try a little lemon zest and lemon juice, or maybe some grated ginger, but don’t know if that would change the consistency of the cream.

    • Hilah on February 9, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      Good idea! Lemon zest would be good and wouldn’t mess up the cream; avoid lemon juice because the acidity could cause it to curdle. I think fresh grated ginger would be okay, too.

      • Veronica on February 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

        Sounds good, thank you! I am making it this weekend for a “Galentine’s Day” celebration with my girlfriends. πŸ™‚

        • Hilah on February 9, 2017 at 8:43 pm

          Have fun!

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