Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream
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One of my favorite things about summer is all of the fresh fruit that’s readily available. I’m not the best when it comes to eating a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables, but at least I’ve always liked fruit. It’s a much greater struggle with me and vegetables; we’ve never seen eye-to-eye, and it’s something I really need to work on. In the mean time, however, I love taking advantage of the produce that summer brings. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and the list goes on and on… They’re such a welcome change of pace from the same old bananas and apples that I’ve been eating all winter long. Aside from fruit salads, snacks on sweltering summer days and mixed into cottage cheese for breakfast, I love using fresh fruit in desserts whenever I can once summer hits. They add an enormous punch of flavor to any baked good and usually leave them feeling just light enough to satisfy but not weigh you down. This tart is a fabulous way to use up your favorite fruit of the season. A sweet pastry dough is baked in a tart pan, filled with pastry cream and then topped with kiwi, raspberries, and blueberries. It’s cool, creamy and packed with fruit. The perfect end to a delicious summer meal.
There are three huge reasons why I think this is a totally amazing recipe, especially for the summer…
(1) You can make each of the components ahead of time, so you don’t need to worry about fussing around right before you want to serve this. The dough for the crust can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 2 days. The pastry cream can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can easily bake the crust early in the day you plan to serve it. Once the crust is baked and cooled, fill it with the pastry cream and top with the fruit before guests arrive. Pop it in the refrigerator while you enjoy dinner!
(2) This recipe is easily adaptable to whatever your favorite fruits of the season are. You could make a mixed berry tart, using raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. You could go all-strawberry. You could even use sliced peaches, apricots or nectarines. Whatever you like, throw it on top!
(3) It’s delicious, and there are copious amounts of pastry cream, which I could easily eat straight from the bowl with a spoon.
What would be your topping of choice for this tart??
One year ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Appetizer Recipes[/donotprint]
Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) half-and-half
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Crust:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- â…” cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
For the Fruit:
- 2 kiwis, halved lengthwise, and cut into half-circles about 3/8 inch thick
- 2 cups (240 g) raspberries, (about 9 ounces)
- 1 cup (148 g) blueberries, (about 5 ounces )
Instructions
- Make the Pastry Cream: Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
- Make the Crust: Whisk together the yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bow; set aside. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until workable). Unwrap and roll out between 2 lightly floured large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9- to 9½-inch tart pan. Ease the dough into the pan corners and press the dough against the fluted sides of the pan. If some sections of the edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding the excess dough back on itself. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove the excess dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough all over with a fork. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes. (The dough-lined tart pan can be sealed in a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag and frozen up to 1 month.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a square of foil into the frozen tart shell and over the edge, and fill with metal or ceramic pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
- Assemble the Tart: Spread the cold pastry cream over the bottom of the tart shell, using an offset spatula or large spoon. Arrange the kiwi slices in an overlapping circle around the inside edge of the pastry. Arrange the raspberries in rings just inside the kiwi. Mound the blueberries in the center. (The tart can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 30 minutes.) Remove the outer ring of the tart pan and place the tart onto a serving platter; serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is hands down, the best recipe! thank you for posting!!
Not the easiest thing to make but the result is out of this world.
How much pastry cream does this make?Â
Hi Annie, This makes about 3 cups of pastry cream.
I’m a novice baker, but had hard time with this recipe. The filing/Pastry Cream was more of a custard/yellowish base. Thick when mixing., but gooey all over when slicing a “piece.” It didn’t keep it’s form the way I thought it would. Seems to be more custard then the white cream filing. Darn. Tasted Great, but disappointed with the presentation. Is this normal or did I over boil it or over blend it? Thanks.
When you are cooking the cream on the stovetop, does it bubble? I don’t know if I am overcoming it.. I took it off the stove but it seems very thick.. and doesn’t feel creamy but more like gelatin ?? If that makes sense.. I am not sure if that means I overcooked it..Â
I noticed mine bubbled, but i beleive this is a common incident.
Also “pastry cream” is supposed to be a like a very thick custard, so the gelly-i feeling may be correct.
but you might have overcooked it because mine was jiggly but not quite gelatin yet
what if anything would you put on the fruit to make them shiny?
You could water down some honey and brush that on!
I have been a huge fan of your site & usually any recipe I’ve tired before has been a huge success. This one is challenging and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
I followed your recipe – twice. the dough was like powder & wouldn’t come together. After the second time – I looked at the comments to see if anyone else had problems with the crust. You mention in one of them to add the ice water – but I re-read your instructions and you don’t mention ice water anywhere, or how much to add.
I had tried to add some later – but it got super sticky and I was unable to roll it – total fail…
On a good note – the pastry cream was to die for…
Thanks – Donna
I have made this recipe numerous times and it always comes out perfectly. It was so good that my 11 year old has asked for it for her birthday! I have made it with all kinds of berries, but raspberries are crucial. Excellent recipe!!!
I made this for a potluck last Friday. I received sooo many compliments! My coworkers told me that they assumed I had bought it at Balducci’s, it looked and tasted so professional:)
this looks relish! would i be able to make this into 6 inch mini tarts? and if so, approx how many would it make?
Hi Karin, You definitely could! I’m not totally sure how many it would make, but I’m guessing around 3 of the mini tartlets if they’re 6 inches in diameter.
Thanks for sharing
This fruit tart looks stunning Michelle, thank you for sharing.
You didn’t glaze it, I love that:)
I like to bake up a tart with refreshing grapefruit, blood orange, kumquats, lemon, and lime.
I have been making this pastry cream recipe (delicious!) every year for Easter for about 3-4 years. It sets up great, but once I assemble the tart (maybe 30 min-1hr before serving) and slice it, the pastry cream is always falling out the sides and it all becomes a mess. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong since the pastry cream is so thick and creamy as I’m assembling. I top with berries and LIGHTLY glaze just before serving. Any tips? Ideas why this keeps happening? Any help would be so appreciated!Â
Hi Shannon, Hmmm if it’s super thick when you assemble, I’m not sure why it would get so runny so quickly. Do you keep it refrigerated until you serve? Perhaps try letting it cook just a SMIDGE longer?
LOVE this recipe. It’s better than any fruit tart you can buy. I follow it almost exactly except I have never had to strain the custard – I just whisk it in SUPER slowly, a little at a time, beating it super fast. My kids beg for this as their birthday cake every year. Thank you for the recipe! Oh and the pastry cream is just to die for! Some other people bring fruit tarts for holidays and every year my kids tell me nothing is better than my fruit tart (which is YOUR fruit tart recipe). :)
Great tart
This tart is delicious, and so stunning!! Perfect dessert for a summer BBQ. I pre-assembled all the components the day before serving so putting it together the next day was easy. Highly recommend!!
I made this for a friend’s birthday. As promised, the pastry cream was amazing. Everyone who tasted it said they could eat it right out of a bowl, and honestly I had to stop myself from doing just that! I had some difficulty with the pastry crust. It’s very buttery and after refrigerating it for the recommended period of time, it became too soft to work with very quickly. I’m not a novice baker, but I eventually lifted sections of it and pieced them together in the tart pan. Delicious! Thank you! Deena
I’m in the midst of making this delicious-looking tart, but my cream is very runny and thin even though I’ve let it set for 3+ hours. Is it too late to cook the cream more? This is my first time making pastry cream but if you have any suggestions that would be fantastic!
Hi Isabella, The pastry cream should noticeably thicken before you even take it off of the stove, with huge bubbles bursting. If this did not happen, it probably was not cooked long enough. I don’t think you could put it back on the stove after a long chill, I would recommend starting from scratch.
Would it be okay to use pastry cream that has has been in the fridge for 3 days or is it better to just make fresh pastry cream at that point?
Hi Grace, I think that would be okay, as long as you plan on eating the tart within a day or two, at the most.
I have made this for guests arriving any minute and it will not set! I am fearful that I will not have a dessert tonight. The crust is fine but the filling is off.
My FIRST and ALL TIME FAVORITE recipe of BEB!!! I made miniature versions and they were such a hit that I am officially the fruit tart queen at every gathering/reunion/party ha.
Can I double the recipe?
Hi Angelica, Yes, but you would need an extremely large pan (or just make two pans).
Hello! my father loves pastry and I intend on baking this wonderful tart but I only have a 12inch tart pan,how can I convert this recipe to the right measurements?
Since this uses a 9-inch pan, you’ll want to increase everything by one third. Enjoy!
Thank you so much!!!
Made this tonight! A few comments–I really liked the flavor of everything overall, the pie crust, filling, and fruit all had great taste. I especially enjoyed the filling, which is surprising because I normally prefer the sweeter, cream cheese fillings, but this reminded me of more of a light, cannoli filling. I had some trouble with baking the crust, however. I didn’t have pie weights so I baked it without (which has worked fine on many recipes that call for pie weights) but this time there was a definite air bubble and the sides kind of slid down to make a very thick bottom and hardly any depth to the tart. Overall though, the taste and appearance of the tart still turned out very good.
Hi, what is the purpose of straining the pastry cream? Is this a necessary step in the process?
Hi Andrea, You want to strain the pastry cream, because any time you make a custard with raw eggs, it’s likely that there are little tiny bits of cooked eggs in the pan. Straining it keeps those bits out and ensures a silky smooth pastry cream. I would consider this a necessary step.
I made the vanilla cream a few times since the first time at Christmas and each time it’s fabulous! Makes great cream puffs and can be used in Napoleans as well. Again I added vanilla bean specks for that intense vanilla flavor and I must admit I have never strained the cream thru a sieve.
Hello Michele,
I tried this recipe for Easter but the crust was not a success. I tried two batched and both burnt. I believe that 30 minutes at 375 F for blind baking as well as 5 minutes extra without weights is just too much. Furthermore, you did not mentioned on which third of the oven I should bake it which I think it’s important. Other than that the cream was amazing and tasted great.
Thanks.
Hi Michelle,
I just finished making the pastry cream, but mine is a lot more yellow than yours. Yours looked almost white in the pictures. I did whisk the egg yolk mixture until it became pale, but maybe I could’ve whisked more? I was trying to get that white look because it looked just like the pastry cream of one of my favorite pies, but unfortunately mine didn’t turn out like that.
Thanks!
Hi Hira, A couple of things can make this difference; yes, beating longer may lighten the color, but egg yolks can vary greatly in color. Some are quite pale while others are almost orange. The color really has nothing to do with the flavor of the pastry cream.
I wanted to make a pastry cream fruit cake for a holiday party and came across this recipe. I read thru many of the comments looking for someone who actualy MADE it so I can get an unbiased opinion of how it turned out. What I found was that no one MADE the recipe, all were commenting on how BEAUTIFUL it looked, and it looked FABULOUS, I must agree. So I decided to actually make it, and lo and behold I had to report that this fruit tart was absolutely as DELICIOUS as it looks. It was a HUGE hit at a holiday party, verifying my opinion that there is no such thing as a “SEASONAL” dessert. Anything goes any time of year, as long as you can find good fresh ingredients. Who said that this is a “SUMMER” dessert? Not so. It was just as enjoyable in the middle of the winter. All the guests could not believe I made it. Looked like it came from an upscale bakery. Tasted even better! The vanilla pastry cream was to die for. I’ve make it before from a recipe in Joy of Cooking, and debated whether I would go with the one I knew was good, but decided to go out on a limb and try this one. It was EVEN BETTER than the one I made in the past. Only thing I added was vanilla specks from real tahitian vanilla beans (that I get from Amazon, they are fabulous), and the vanilla made the cream especially good. This recipe is a winner.
PS Dont substitute anything. Make it just as directed and you wont fail.
I’ve made one. Look on my Facebook pg Patrick Morgan sr
I just wanted to thank you for the great recipe/tutorial! My husband wanted a fresh fruit tart for this birthday. Btw, I lowered the amount of cornstarch to 2 Tbsp as I don’t like it when it is so firm you can “bounce” it off the wall :) I made sure to cook it ’til thickened and it set up perfectly! Thanks so much
I tried to make the crust twice and failed miserably. What if I don’t have a food processor? Am I stuck with store bought crusts until I can get one?
Hi Mandy, Of course not, dough can be made by hand, it’s just made easier with a food processor. Whisk together your dry ingredients, cut in the butter, then fold in the ice water with a rubber spatula until it’s cohesive.
I made this last night, and it was wonderful!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I brushed the crust with heated apricot jam and let that set for 30 minutes before assembling, to prevent sogginess. I assembled about 5 hours in advance, and it was the perfect texture, and even was this morning as well!
Gorgeous tart! Thank you for posting the recipe! I wonder if I could use heavy cream in place of the half-and-half used in the pastry cream recipe? Would that make the cream too thick? Thank you!!!
Hi Alice, You can use heavy cream, but I would suggest replacing it with a 50/50 split of heavy cream and whole milk – you’ll get closer to the consistency that the half-and-half will create.
Thank you Michelle, I’ll have to try your recipe soon! :-)
I’ve heard that heavy cream can be replaced with a ratio of 1 part butter to 2 parts milk, when not whipped. Do you think that could apply in the case of the 1 tablespoon heavy cream in this?
I have not used that substitute before, so I can’t give you 100% certainty on it, but it never hurts to try!
Two more questions, thanks for taking the time to answer!
Can the crust be baked the night before and be left in the fridge overnight?
And if the tart is assembled for more than 30 minutes, will it get soggy?
The crust can be baked ahead, but you don’t need to refrigerate it; it should be kept at room temperature. Yes, the bottom crust can start to become soggy the longer it sits, so it’s best to have the components ready, then assemble not long before serving.
Do U think I can ship this tart via FedEx overnight to my family, it’s around 175 miles away(across 3 states). SO, what would u say I pack it with dry ice or just regular packing to make sure it’s packed nicely & doesn’t move inside the box. I’m not sure if I need to keep it cool(using ice) or not. I’m sure with fresh fruit on top of it freezing won’t work. Please Please Please give me your input. Thanks.
Hi Shally, I don’t see any way that this could be safely shipping, given that it needs to be refrigerated and that it would very likely break in the shipping process.
I really want to make this but I don’t have a tart pan…If I make this in a glass pie dish, should I just butter/grease the dish heavily before baking the crust? Or would this be better made in a springform pan?
Thank you! It looks wonderful!
You could definitely make this in a springform pan; it would be beautiful!
Great recipe idea. My pastry cream never quire thickened. It was still runny after sitting over night. Suggestions?
Hi Juli, Did you make any ingredient substitutions? If not, it sounds like it wasn’t cooked quite long enough on the stove, therefore it wasn’t able to set up properly.
Thanks for posting your lovely recipes. They always turned out great for me especially your cupcakes. Anyway, would it be alright if I use full cream milk instead of half and half? It’s not available easily here in Malaysia.
Hi Anna, I would recommend half full fat milk and half heavy cream. Using only milk may not thicken it up enough.
it looks very delicious,but in making the cream,what is half and half means?thanks.
Hi Gemma, Half & half is sold here in the U.S., but it’s essentially 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 heavy cream, so you can substitute those quantities for the half & half in the recipe.
My pastry cream came out too thick! I couldn’t even strain it. Any suggestions?
It was really easy to put in a pastry bag and pipe it in my mini shell though. Every one loved it and they were looking for more!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Hi Ann, The pastry cream was probably cooked just a tad too long and got thicker than intended (assuming you didn’t make any ingredient substitutions). Glad everyone enjoyed the tart!
Did anyone’s cream come out too thin?
Yummy:) I will give it a try:))))))))
Made this tonight for a dessert. Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours but it tasted great. Thanks for a lovely dessert!
This looks gorgeous. What would be an alternative for half and half for non Americans? half whipping cream and half milk?
Hi Safoora, You got it exactly – half heavy (or whipping) cream and half whole milk. Enjoy!
Stunningily beautiful!
WOW! Looks delicious. I think my favorite part about this fruit tart is that it is all fresh homemade ingredients. I have had fruit tarts and fruit pizzas that are made with refrigerated cookie dough and then topped with the orange marmalade (not a fan of). Can’t wait to try this fresh and homemade version… perfect for summer entertaining!!!
Ive been searching for a great fruit tart recipe – trying this one this weekend! Thanks for sharing :)
That looks so amazing! when i make a fruit tart i use a cream cheese filling which tastes great too!
Absolutely beautiful tart! I’m saving this for when I go blueberry picking this weekend :)
I’m so glad you made this beautiful tart. I searched the site earlier this spring for this recipe when I finally bought my tart pan. My girls love these and I don’t want to buy it from the store. Thanks for all the great recipe.
Whenever I see tarts like this one, I always dream of making one! So beautiful!
That looks so beautiful! If kiwi wasn’t so expensive, I’d probably make that. Just bought a TON of strawberries today, so might need to make a modification :)
I can’t resist Pastry Cream, it a tentation for me. And your crust looks very interesting, I never made one with cream. And I like the idea that we can make it in parts, so we can make it in advance so we don’t have to be stressed when we need it.
This look so delicious! And it’s absolutely beautiful!!
I think I just drooled..this looks amazing. You always have the best pictures!!
Oh my, the photos alone are enough for me… I feel full already. I love fruit tarts! Thanks for sharing!
THIS LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!!!!
I love love fruit tarts.
The toppings look absolutely delicious as is! I love the three colors together!
I like how this dish can be made ahead of time!
I have always wanted to make a tart! Yours is so pretty!
Here in Belgium they have these in the bakery. We are Americans stationed over here and one of the great things is the bakeries. The ones they make have a really yummy glaze over them. I hate doing anything with dough but I may have to get over that fear and try this. Thank you for the recipe.
This is such a pretty tart! I love how the colors come together and make such a lovely display. I wouldn’t change the toppings. I would use exactly what you’ve used because I love all of those fruits.
You are absolutely spoiling us with these great treats you’ve been posting. This is my absolute favorite dessert for summer, but now I don’t have to buy the ready made tart shell, I can make my own. Thanks.
I made a fresh fruit tart just like this one a few weeks ago, and it was downright amazing. I’m making another one tonight for a work potluck. Your tart looks incredible!
The tart looks perfect. My desserts usually have some kind of chocolate in them but I’ll have to try making this one. I think I’ll substitute grapes for the blueberries – I got sick on blueberry pie a life-time ago and never had any since. Thanks for the post.
I made a tart like this one week ago, but used only strawberries tot op it! I love how the pastry cream paired with the fruits and the flaky crust!
This is a beautiful dish. I love this time of year too, all my favorite fruit is in season!
Gorgeous! I love the fact that you can make the components ahead of time!
That tart is beautiful! It’s almost (almost!) too pretty to eat.
This is such a gorgeous picture! There’s no doubt that I will be making this very soon. You nailed this one!!!
This tart is stunning! Perfect for summer.
Oh my goodness, it looks absolutely fantastic! Thank you :-)
This looks absolutely sensational,such a great use of colour!! Love this time of year with the ammounts of fresh fruits you can get.
This is gorgeous!! I struggle with veggies too, maybe if I could have those in a beautiful tart too.
This is my kind of summer dessert. Love it!
I love fresh fruits especially kiwi. This tart is perfect for summer. What do you think about pre-baked tart crust?
This tart crust is pre-baked, or are you talking about a store-bought crust?
That tart looks so fresh and perfect! Simply gorgeous!
What a gorgeous looking fruit tart! I would probably use all the fruits you used, maybe add some strawberries or mandarin oranges, but kiwi is a MUST. My hubby loves fruit tarts so maybe I’ll give this a whirl for him :)
wow that looks fabulous!! (and delicious!!) aren’t kiwi simply stunning fruits with their green and black! perfect for a tart:) i love fresh fruit desserts. thanks for sharing!