I had long ago promised my mom and sister a fresh fruit tart and after the intensely chocolate Tuesday we had it seemed like the right time.  A fruit tart is one of the easiest desserts to make with the highest ‘wow’ return.  Brightly colored fruit, pale pastry cream, and a delicious crust are just such a winning combination.  Even with a little complication, it’s still far and above an easy dessert to ‘whip together.’  Most of the cooking time is spent waiting for things to cool, waiting for things to macerate, waiting, waiting.  It’s a passively constructed dessert. And during the hot end of a summer, who doesn’t like passive baking?

And on another note, thanks to all and to the Foodie Blog roll for– wow!?– the FFF award last week.  Congrats to the other four recipients!

Fresh Fruit Tart

Makes enough for two 9-inch diameter round tarts.  Swap out the fresh fruit for other favorites.  Creativity abounds.

3 cups washed and sliced strawberries
1 cup washed raspberries
¼ cup sugar

1.  Mix the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl, then let sit for at least one hour or until use.  Refrigerate if planning on waiting over night.  Refrigerate the raspberries until use.

2.  After allowing the strawberries to macerate, drain from their own juices and set aside.  Bowl the strawberries and sugar juice in a saucepan over medium high heat until the juice has reduced and thickened into a syrup.  Cool and reserve syrup for further use as a glaze for the finished tart.

Pate Sucree
Adapted from Francois Payard’s Simply Sensational Desserts

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 1 plus one tablespoon confectioners sugar, sifted
1 ¾ cup flour
A pinch of salt
1 egg
½ cup blanched and slivered, or a mix of sliced, almonds

1.  Grind the almond mix in a food processor until coarse.  Add the butter and process until fluffy.  Add the flour, salt, sugar, and egg, and process until just combined.  Turn out onto a flat surface and form two flat discs.  Refrigerate each disc for at least two hours or until use.

2.  Roll out each disc to fit the tart shell size and then fill with foil and baking weights.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove weights and bake for 8-10 minutes more or until golden brown.  Cool completely before use.

Pastry Cream
From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
½ cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1.  In a large saucepan, combine milk, vanilla bean—seeds, pod, and all—and ¼ cup of the sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then set aside to cool for less than five minutes.  While milk is coming to a boil, whip eggs in a stand-up mixture with a paddle attachment with the cornstarch and remaining sugar until pale and can hold a thick ribbon.

2.  Pour hot milk into the egg mixture, ½ cup at a time, while stirring slowly.  Continue until milk is fully incorporated.  Return milk and egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium high heat until thickened and 160 degrees in temperature.  Remove from heat and return to the paddle mixer, add in the butter and beating for 5 minutes until cool.

3.  Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressing the wrap on the edges of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To assemble:

4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate

1. Using the chocolate shave the bar and make chocolate curls like here.  Melt the remaining chocolate to drizzle over finished tart using a Ziploc or pastry bag.

2.  Fill tart shells with pastry cream then arrange fruit over cream.  Glaze fruit with syrup, coating the edges of the tart shells as well.  Drizzle with chocolate and chocolate shavings.  Keep in fridge.

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