The Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart—Happy 4th of July

I’d made this The Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart and have taken these pictures a while ago.  Somehow, I didn’t have a chance to share it on my blog yet.  To celebrate the 4th of July, I think we can all use a little pie/tart recipe as beautiful as this one, right?  This fresh fruit tart was an attempt to recreate my favorite fruit tart that I used to purchase from a Japanese bakery.  The ones from the bakery was a 4-inch tart. But for celebration, I think a full 9-inch tart is more beautiful though.  Somehow, the bakery changed their recipe and I didn’t like their new tarts anymore.  So, this fresh fruit tart is how I remembered what the tart used to be like from the bakery. 



What is unique about this tart is that it has a crunchy and flaky butter cookie crust.  Hm….yummy right?  I can’t resist a tart that has a butter cookie crust, can you?  On top of the crust, it’s a thin layer of chocolate.  So, think about chocolate cookies now.  Topping the chocolate layer is another layer of pastry cream, and a thin layer of freshly whipped cream.  Sounds decadent?  You bet it is.  Then, I top the whole tart with different fresh fruit.  I used Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges, and kiwi.  The berries are in season and it’s the best time and best way to celebrate them with this Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart.  I brushed the fruit with a thin layer of glaze made with my homemade orange marmalade that was thinned out with a dash of lemon juice.  Each layer tasted wonderful on it’s own and really compliment each other all together.  This is really closed to the fruit tart that I love from the Japanese bakery, if not better.  



Due to the different layers involved in preparing this tart, there are quite a few steps in the recipe.  However, each step is quite simple to prepare.  I hope you will all enjoy today’s recipe and give it a try.  I wish you all a safe and wonderful 4th of July celebration.   




Note: I got this Pie plate a long time ago.  You can find a similar one here.



The Ultimate Fresh Fruit Tart: (Printable Recipe)

For the pie crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt

For the pie fillings:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar

For the fruit top:
8 strawberries, cut in halves
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup Mandarin orange slices (from can), drained
1 Kiwi, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup blackberries

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 teaspoons lemon juice

To make the pie crust:
Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 9-inch-round pie dish. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a piece of parchment paper on pie crust. Top parchment with beans/pie weight. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, prick the pie crust all over with the tines of a fork and bake again for 20 to 22 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the pie fillings:
In a small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate on high heat. Stop and stir in 30 second intervals until chocolate are melted. Let it cool slightly and pour on cooled pie crust. Spread melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of the pie crust with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1-inch border. Keep in refrigerator to chill while preparing the rest of the pie filling.

In a small pot, bring evaporated milk to a simmer on medium heat. Do not boil. Remove from heat once you see bubbles on the edges.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Then, pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Then, switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes until the custard thickened, like pudding. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and butter. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 2 hours.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar with a hand held electric mixer until stiff peak form.

To make the glaze:
In a small bowl, mix orange marmalade and lemon juice together until well combined.

To assemble:
Fill pie crust with custard mixture. Spread whipped cream evenly over custard mixture with a rubber spatula. Arrange fresh fruit on top. Brush, glaze over fruit with a pastry brush. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.