Description
Delight in these homemade Breakfast Fruit Tarts featuring a crisp buttery crust filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream and topped with an assortment of fresh, colorful fruits. Perfect for a light breakfast or a refreshing dessert, these tarts combine a tender baked shell with a glossy fruit glaze for an impressive yet easy-to-make treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Tart Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-6 tablespoons ice water
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit Topping
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
Glaze
- 1/4 cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt to ensure even distribution of dry ingredients for the tart dough.
- Cut in the Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, quickly work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs to form the base of the pastry.
- Add Ice Water: Gradually mix in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together without overmixing to maintain a flaky texture.
- Form the Dough: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours to chill and firm up.
- Roll Out the Dough: Roll the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thickness on a floured surface in preparation for shaping tart shells.
- Cut and Shape Tart Shells: Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut dough circles slightly larger than tart pans, press into pans firmly, and trim excess dough for perfect tart bases.
- Dock the Crusts: Prick the bottoms of tart shells several times with a fork to prevent bubbling during baking.
- Chill Again: Refrigerate tart shells for 15 minutes to solidify the dough before baking, aiding in crispness.
- Preheat Oven: Set oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for blind baking.
- Blind Bake: Line shells with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans to keep crust shape during initial baking phase.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly golden, indicating initial set of crust.
- Remove Weights: Carefully take out parchment and weights to allow further baking of the crust bottom.
- Continue Baking: Return shells to oven for 5-10 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and fully baked.
- Cool Completely: Let tart shells cool in pans to room temperature before filling to prevent sogginess.
- Infuse the Milk: Heat milk with half the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally without boiling to dissolve sugar.
- Whisk Egg Yolks and Sugar: In a bowl, combine egg yolks with remaining sugar, cornstarch, and salt; whisk until pale and smooth to prepare the thickening mixture.
- Temper the Egg Yolks: Slowly add some hot milk to the egg yolks while whisking constantly to raise their temperature without scrambling.
- Combine and Cook: Pour tempered egg yolk mixture back into saucepan with remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened and boiling, then continue whisking for 1-2 more minutes for full cooking.
- Remove from Heat: Stir in butter and vanilla extract until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.
- Cool and Chill: Cover pastry cream surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation, refrigerate at least 2 hours until fully chilled and set.
- Fill the Tart Shells: Evenly spoon chilled pastry cream into cooled tart shells as the creamy base layer.
- Arrange the Fruit: Artistically place strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi slices, and mandarin segments atop the pastry cream to decorate the tarts.
- Prepare the Glaze: Heat apricot jam and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth and melted to create a shiny glaze.
- Glaze the Fruit: Brush the warm apricot glaze gently over the arranged fruit to add gloss and preserve freshness.
- Chill (Optional): Refrigerate the completed fruit tarts for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors and firm the glaze before serving.
- Serve: Present the fruit tarts chilled as a fresh, elegant breakfast or dessert.
Notes
- Be careful not to overwork the dough to keep the tart crust tender and flaky.
- Pie weights or dried beans prevent the crust from puffing up during blind baking.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to avoid skin formation during chilling.
- You can substitute fresh seasonal fruits depending on availability.
- Chilling the assembled tarts improves flavor melding and texture.
