Recipe for baking French tartes

This American spin on a classic French fruit tarte is a delicious and easy way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Composed of a light and flaky crust, a delicate pastry crème and an elegant glaze, this treat is delicate, delectable and a perfect reminder of spring. Inspired by House of Nash Eats this tarte can be made with either vanilla or chocolate crème and is sure to bring color and sweetness to your table.

Ingredients:

Pastry crème

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1/2 cup heavy crème

• 1/2 cup sugar, divided

• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 5 egg yolks

• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 10 dark chocolate chunks

Pastry Crust

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tablespoon heavy crème

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Fruit Topping

• 2 kiwis, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

• 10-12 strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick vertically

• 1/2 cup blueberries

• 1/4 cup raspberries

Instructions:

Pastry crème

1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, crème and 1/4 cup sugar and turn on medium-high heat. Stir the mixture occasionally.

2. Combine salt, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

3. Once the crème has come to a simmer, slowly whisk about 1 cup into the egg mixture. Once it has been thoroughly incorporated, combine the tempered egg mixture with the crème in the saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, whisking constantly for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat when the mixture has thickened.

4. If you wish to make vanilla pastry crème: Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Immediately transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap touches directly onto the pastry crème so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

5. If you wish to make chocolate pastry crème: Whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder. Quickly add in the chocolate chips, allowing the heat of the crème to melt them, and mix until incorporated. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Tarte Shell

1. Whisk together the egg yolk, crème and vanilla in a small bowl.

2. Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and process until just combined. Add the cold butter pieces to the dry mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 17 pulses.

3. While the food processor is on, slowly add in the liquid through the feed tube and process the mixture until a ball of dough forms around the blade.

4. Flatten the dough into a roughly 6 inch disk on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the disk and refrigerate for about an hour. Once the dough has been taken out of the fridge, let it soften before rolling it out.

5. Roll out the pastry crust dough on a lightly floured surface. Using the tarte pans as a guide, cut out a circle of dough with a half inch greater radius than that of the tarte pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the pan by either gently rolling it onto the rolling pin or scooping it up with a bench scraper, then ease the dough into the pan, pressing into the corners and all sides of the tarte pan. Fill in any gaps by pressing small pieces of dough onto the crack, and cut off excess dough around the rim using a small knife. Keep the tarte shells in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

6. When the tartes are ready to be baked, preheat the oven to 375 F. Press a piece of aluminum foil folded in half into the tarte shells, making sure to cover the sides, and fill with rice to ensure that the shells keep their shape while baking. Place the tarte shells onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the tartes cool, then carefully take off the aluminum foil with rice. Make sure that the shells have cooled completely before filling with the pastry crème.

Tarte Assembly

1. Once the tarte shells have cooled completely, spoon the chocolate and vanilla pastry crème into separate piping bags. Pipe the crème into the tarte shells and smooth the surface with a spoon. Decorate with sliced fruit.

2. Serve and enjoy!