Tony Zentgraf
It’s Summertime and Fresh Berries are abound! This Fresh Fruit Tart with Crème Pâtissière (Vanilla Pastry Cream) is amazing!
One of the best parts of this tart is the Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough) which isn’t even in the title!
The sweet crisp tart shell will be a go to for any tart you make. It won’t matter if it’s Fruit, Chocolate or Lemon filling, you will love it!
What’s for Dessert?
- Fresh Berries? Make a Tart!
- Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough)
- Crème Pâtissière a.k.a. Pastry Cream
- Vanilla Bean Paste, What’s That?
- Converting Bean to Paste to Extract
- Fresh Fruit Tart Recipe
Fresh Berries? Make a Tart!
Making this Fresh Fruit Tart with Crème Pâtissière otherwise known as Pastry Cream is easy! Don’t let the term Crème Pâtissière or Pâte Sucrée scare you off from making this recipe! It is easy to make and delicious, the French knew what they were doing when they created these classic recipes!
Considering there are few steps in creating this delicious dessert, making the dough, baking the tart shell and making and cooling the pastry cream, plan ahead. Each step is easy to put together but the entire process takes hours. But it is worth the effort and time!
Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough)
The first step to creating this eye catching dessert is to make the Pâte Sucrée or Sweet Dough. The great thing about this dough is that it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for up to 2 months!
Preparing this is quick and easy in a stand mixer. With a paddle, cream the room temperature butter and sugar. Add the eggs one by one then add the flour. Scraping the bowl as needed and in between steps to ensure everything is combined. Once combined, that’s it! Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until needed. Allow the dough to soften before rolling, don’t let it get to room temperature as it may too sticky to roll. See the recipe for more.
Crème Pâtissière a.k.a. Pastry Cream
French pastry chefs lay claim to Crème Pâtissière but pastry cream may have roots in Italy as well. Just as pesto and pistou have roots in both countries bordering regions pastry cream may have just as a disputed past. Italy also has a stake in the origin as well.
Catherine Medici was born in Italy, when she left France to marry Henry de Valois she became queen of France in 1547. With her she brought Italian chefs who integrated the cuisine of the Italian kitchen to France.
Although there is not any direct proof that pastry cream was brought from Italy to France, the likelihood of cross border culinary influence has been seen throughout the region. The similarities of recipes from both countries are very similar and both delicious.
Vanilla Bean Paste, What’s That?
I know what some of you are saying, there he goes again using something that we don’t have in the kitchen or a “speciality ingredient”. To be honest the only reason I used this is that one of our local markets had a bottle of Vanilla Bean Paste marked down in a discount bin cheaper than a bottle of extract. Plus, I didn’t have a vanilla bean when I made the pastry cream or I would have gone out to get one. That being said, don’t worry, I got you covered.
You may have never heard of vanilla bean paste but are familiar with vanilla extract or vanilla beans. Vanilla bean paste can be made at home. There are homemade recipes out there that use the entire vanilla bean ground up in a blender then cooked with water, sugar and corn syrup. Strain out the pulp from the pod and you have a similar result to what you can buy in a store. Why do that when you can find one in the store at a discount.😎
Converting Bean to Paste to Extract
Nielsen & Massey Fine Vanillas & Flavors has been in the vanilla business since 1907. They sell whole vanilla beans and also produce vanilla extract and paste and powder. They also have a line of other flavor extracts for baking.
Simply explained on their website, you can substituting one Vanilla Bean is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon of Extract, Paste and even Powder. So you can substitute them interchangeably as needed.
How I remember when to use extract and when to use a vanilla bean or paste comes down to visual and textural elements. It is best to use Vanilla Extract in items such as cakes, cookies, pastries and cocktails when you will not see the vanilla beans or want them floating in your drink.
Vanilla beans and Paste on the other hand, desserts such as pastry cream, creme brûlée, whipped cream, puddings and frostings you want to see the beans. Plus you get the textural element from the beans as well. Plus, I think it tastes better than extract, in my opinion.
I hope you give this recipe a try and have fun with different fruit to top the tart with. Give some of these a try. Mix it up, some sweet some tart go wild!
- Strawberries
- Raspberries, Blueberries & Blackberries
- Kiwi
- Mandarins, Satsumas or Clementines
- Star Fruit
- Peaches, Nectarines and Plums
- Dragon Fruit
Enjoy!
Fresh Fruit Tart with Crème Pâtissière
Print RecipeEquipment
- Sauce Pot
- Measuring Spoons & Cup
- Kitchen Scale - to weigh sugar
- Mesh Strainer
- Plastic Wrap
Recipe Multiplier
Pâte Sucrée Dough (Sweet Dough)
Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)
- 16 oz Milk - Whole or 2% recommended
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Paste, Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Bean - split and scraped of beans
- 3 ½ oz Sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp Cornstarch - See Notes Below
- 4 ea Egg Yolks
- 1 tbsp Cold Butter
Fruit of Your Choice
- 8 oz Strawberries - Halved, Quartered or Sliced
- 6 oz Black Berries
- 6 oz Raspberries
- 3 ea Mandarin Oranges - or small can
- 2 tbsp Apricot Preserves
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
Make the Pâte Sucrée Recipe
- Follow the instructions in the Pâte Sucrée Recipe. Mix, chill, roll, bake as per the recipe.Let the baked tart shell cool before filling.
Making the Crème Pâtissière
- If using a Vanilla Bean, split and scrape the beans from the pod before you begin to cook the pastry cream.
- In a sauce pot, add the milk and vanilla. (Vanilla Paste, Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Beans)Whisk to break apart the vanilla beans.
- Over a medium high heat, bring the milk up to a simmer.
- While the milk is coming up to a simmer mix together the sugar and cornstarch.Ensure there is not any clumps of cornstarch.Hold aside until the milk simmers.
- Once the milk simmers, whisk in the sugar/cornstarch mix. Sprinkle in as you are whisking, breaking apart the granules to avoid any clumping cornstarch. Don't add the entire sugar/cornstarch mix at once, it may cause clumping even if you are whisking.
- Once the sugar and cornstarch are added. Turn off the heat.The mixture may begin to thicken, that is fine. You want to stop the cooking process at this point until you add the egg yolks.
- With the egg yolks in a bowl, temper the cream mixture into the eggs.Slowly drizzle in 4 oz of the cream mixture into the egg yolks while you are whisking. This will bring the eggs up in temperature to help avoiding scrambling the eggs in the pastry cream in the next step.
- While whisking the milk mixture in the pot, drizzle in the tempered egg yolks.Once added, turn on the heat to medium and whisk the mixture as it comes back to a simmer.
- The pastry cream will begin to thicken, pull ribbons behind the whisk and slightly pull away from the side. Remove from the heat at this point.
- Have a bowl ready with the butter. Place a wire mesh strainer over the butter in the bowl.Pour the pastry cream from the pot into the strainer. Using a whisk or spatula, press the pastry cream through the strainer. This will catch any cooked egg or cornstarch clumps.
- Stir the strained pastry cream. Allow the butter to milk and incorporate.
- Once the butter is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) with plastic wrap directly on top.Ensure there is no air between the pastry cream and plastic wrap. This will keep a skin from forming on top of the pastry cream as it cools.Cook in the refrigerator for 2 hours before use.
Filling the Baked Pâte Sucrée Tart Shell
- In a sauce pot, place the apricot preserves and water. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Let cool before brushing on to the finished tart fruit.
- Spoon or spatula the pastry cream into the tart shell.
- Using a spatula, spread the pastry cream to a flat surface.
- Wash and cut the desired fruit, strawberries, mandarin oranges or other fruit as needed. Dry the fruit so excess water does not accumulate on the pastry cream.
- Arrange the fruit as desired on top of the pastry cream.
- Brush the cooled apricot glaze onto the fruit. Coat the fruit, some excess on the pastry cream is ok.Serve immediately or chill in a refrigerator. Serve within two days. The pastry cream will make the tart shell soggy after this point. Enjoy!
Delicious!