Simple Homemade Fresh Fruit Tart

Simple Homemade Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients

Crust (may sub refrigerated store-bought pie crust):

•     1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•     1 tablespoon sugar
•     1/2 teaspoon salt
•     1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, ice cold, cut into 1/2" cubes
•     2-4 tablespoons ice water

Pastry Cream (may sub prepared instant vanilla pudding):

•     2 cups half & half
•     1/3 cup + 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, divided
•     pinch salt
•     5 large egg yolks
•     3 tablespoons cornstarch
•     4 tablespoons unsalted butter
•     2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    Flavor Variations

•         Flavored: Add 1/4 t.- 1/2 t. flavor extract of your choice: coconut, almond, mint, etc. (add in with vanilla extract)
•         Adult: 1 tablespoon flavored liqueur (add in with vanilla extract)
•         Chocolate: 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (add in with cornstarch)
•         Cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add in with vanilla extract)
•         Cappuccino/Mocha: 1 tablespoon espresso powder/instant coffee granules, may combine with cocoa (add in with the half & half)
•         Citrus: zest and juice from 1/2-1 whole lemon, lime, orange, etc. (add in with vanilla extract)
•         Berry/Fruity: 1/3 cup seedless fruit puree or preserves of your choice: raspberry, strawberry, etc. (add in with vanilla extract)
•         Extra Light & Fluffy: 1/2-1 cup whipped cream (fold into cooled pastry cream)

Fruit Topping:

    2-3 cups fresh fruit, sliced if necessary (I used fresh blackberries, a kiwi, canned sliced peaches, fresh strawberries and a few fresh blueberries)

Glaze (optional):

    2-4 tablespoon seedless jam or jelly in flavor of your choice (strawberry or raspberry work well)

Directions
Pie Crust (skip this if using pre-made refrigerated pie crust):
Combine flour, sugar, and salt with your fingers, fork, or in a food processor. Blend in butter until mixture looks sandy, like a coarse meal, with tiny balls of butter. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a little at a time if needed. Flatten dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Do not over knead dough, little balls of butter will be visible. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to two days.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Press dough into a 6"-9" pie tin. Line dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dry rice/beans. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake, about 5-10 minutes longer until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Pastry Cream:
Bring the half-and-half, 1/3 cup of sugar and salt to a simmer over medium/high heat, in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar for about 45 seconds.

Once the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly whisk half of it in to the egg yolk mixture to temper the yolks so they don't "cook" when you put them in the hot pot. Then, slowly whisk the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking vigorously, until nice and thick, and a few bubbles burst on the surface, about 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and let cool a minute. Whisk in butter and vanilla. If there are any lumps, remove them with a spoon, or strain the pastry cream into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on to the surface of your pastry cream (this will prevent a layer of skin from forming on top) and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Assemble:
Just before serving, pour your chilled pastry cream into your pie crust and arrange your fruit on top. If you want a glaze on your tart, simply heat your jelly in the microwave for just a few seconds, until slightly melted and brush it over the fruit. Serve and enjoy!