Fruit Tart
- Author: Hilah Johnson
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-9 1x
- 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
- Have your tart shell made or make it while the pastry cream cools, which is going to take at least 2 hours.
- Heat the half-and-half in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Once it’s all mixed in, the custard will begin to thicken almost immediately.
- 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)
- Increase heat to medium and cook a further minute until large bubbles begin to pop on the surface.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add butter pats and whisk until melted. Add extract.
- Pour into bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Chill 2-48 hours.