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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes |
Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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From complicated but satisfying. Ingredients:
** sweet cookie crust (pâte sucrée) |
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes |
1/4 cup superfine sugar |
1 & 1/2 scant cups all-purpose flour |
1/8 teaspoon salt |
1 large egg yolk |
2 tablespoons heavy cream |
** whipped cream pastry cream |
2 large eggs |
3 tablespoons cornstarch |
2 cups half-and-half, divided |
1/2 cup sugar |
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste |
pinch of salt |
1 tablespoon unsalted butter |
1/2 to 1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream |
** fruit |
about 1/4 cup fruit preserves, such as apricot, raspberry, or currant for glazing (optional) |
3-4 cups fresh berries, rinsed, hulled (if necessary), and dried |
Directions:
1. **Sweet Cookie Crust (Pâte Sucrée)
2. Place butter and sugar in a food processor. Pulse about 15 times until sugar disappears. Add flour and salt and pulse again about 15 times until butter is no larger than small peas.
3. Stir together egg yolk and cream. Add to the food processor and pulse about 8 times, just until incorporated. The dough should be in crumbly pieces. Transfer dough to a plastic bag and press from the outside just until it holds together.
4. Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, knead the dough a few times until it becomes one smooth piece. Flatten into a 6-inch disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes until firm enough to put into the tart pan.
5. Roll dough between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap into an 1/8-inch-thick circle. Work quickly so that dough does not soften. If it becomes too soft, place it (in the plastic wrap) on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
6. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. For a 9 & 1/2- by 1-inch tart pan, cut dough to an 11-inch circle. Lift the dough using the plastic wrap. Invert the dough and drape it evenly into the tart pan. Remove plastic wrap and press dough into the sides of the pan. The dough should come about 1/8 inch above the rim of the pan because it will fall during baking.
7. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. When the dough starts to puff, prick it lightly with a fork. Then bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes.
8. Baked crust will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
9. **Whipped Cream Pastry Cream
10. Whisk together eggs and cornstarch. Gradually add 1/4 cup half-and-half. Whisk until smooth and cornstarch is dissolved.
11. Place sugar in a medium heavy nonreactive saucepan. Stir in remaining 1 & 3/4 cups of half-and-half and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk 2 tablespoons of hot mixture into egg mixture. Pass the egg mixture through a strainer into a small bowl.
12. Bring the half-and-half mixture to a boil again. Quickly add egg mixture and whisk rapidly for 20-30 seconds. The mixture should become very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Immediately pour into a bowl and place a piece of greased plastic wrap down into the bowl directly over cream to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature (about an hour). Then refrigerate until cold. May be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.
13. Whip desired amount of heavy cream. Fold into pastry cream. For this recipe, I used roughly equal amounts of pastry cream and whipped cream.
14. **Assembling the Tart (You’re almost done!)
15. If using preserves with whole fruit or seeds, microwave until liquid and bubbling, stirring once or twice. Strain. This should yield about 3 tablespoons. Brush onto the bottom and sides of cooled crust.
16. Spread pastry cream evenly into the crust. Place fresh berries on top. Refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.
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