Fruit Tarts
In honor of “Pi” Day I am posting a recipe for fruit tarts, the pastry crust has toasted almond flour and coconut, filled with pastry cream and topped with fresh berries. The pastry and pastry cream are adapted from Martha Stewarts recipes from her website.
Pate Sucree: (Sweet Pastry Crust)
Serves 6
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup Toasted almond flour ( I get it from King Arthur)
1/4 cup flaked coconut
2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces Unsalted cold butter cut into pieces (I like to use butter with a high fat content like Plugra)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
Put flour, almond flour, coconut, sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse just to combine. Add your butter and pulse until it resembles crumbs. Add the egg yolks and 2 TBS cream pulse until the dough comes together. If too dry add the other TBS of cream if you find it still has not come together add cream a tsp at a time, Be careful not to over process.
Remove dough from processor and form into two disks wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
You can roll your dough or press into tart or tartlet pans I found the dough to be a little temperamental when it was cold and pressing was so much easier. Prick with fork and put on sheet pan and place in freezer. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. When your dough is well chilled take out of freezer and put a parchment round in each and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for approx 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and remove the parchment and pie weights or beans and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until lightly brown
Remove from the oven and let cool, before you fill the tart refrigerate for at least 30 minutes preferably an hour. Remove tart rim and bottom and fill with your favorite filling
If you want to make a plain pate sucree increase flour to 2 1/2 cups omit the almond flour and coconut and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup.
Pastry Cream:
2 cups half and half or whole milk
1 vanilla bean split or 2 tsp pure vanilla extraxt see note in step 1.and step 3
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks at room temperature
1/4 cup Corn starch or flour
1 tablespoon butter
Place half and half or milk (I used half and half), vanilla bean in medium saucepan. (NOTE: If you are using vanilla extract do not add your vanilla now) Cook on high heat scalding the milk Remove from heat. In medium bowl whisk eggs and sugar until thickened sift in cornstarch or flour and beat until combined.
Pour half of the hot milk into egg mixture whisking as you pour. Pour back into saucepan and cook on medium high heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens takes approximately 2 minutes and if you are using a thermometer then take it off the stove when the temperature reaches 170-175. It will be thick. Remove vanilla bean.
Transfer to bowl. Add vanilla extract now if you did not use a vanilla bean and add the butter stir and cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly onto the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
