Monday, July 12, 2010

Fresh Fruit Tart with Dark Chocolate and Pastry Cream


I have been known, a time or two, to give into a severe craving and make a beeline to the closest bakery available. It's usually late at night when, as much as I love to bake, can't quite convince myself that an hour of creating and a sink full of dishes is going to satisfy, and reward, my efforts.


One market I frequent always seems to have desserts on the higher end- you know, not just cream pies and spray painted confections. Quite honestly, here in the Arizona summers, a creme pie sounds less than appealing. If anything, nauseating.


One of the items I have tried and liked at that market was a fruit tart made with a pastry crust brushed in chocolate, a vanilla cream, and fresh fruit. While it was refreshing, some off the things I didn't care for was the heavy dose of sugar on the pastry- a huge crunch in every bite- and the glaze of unknown origin on the fruit itself. Oh, and the the $16.99 price tag was just a tad on the "don't you dare tell hubby you spent this much" side... Who, me..?


Thank goodness last week when the craving for this fruit tart hit, it was early enough in the day for me to think of how to recreate it more to my liking. While the recipe was inspired by my local Safeway bakery, the recipe I created on my own. A flaky puff pastry, spread with a premium dark chocolate, a thin layer of decadent pastry cream, with the best of the seasons fruit crowning the top.


Fresh Fruit Tart with Dark Chocolate and Pastry Cream

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
1 recipe Pastry cream (recipe to follow main recipe)
3 oz dark (bittersweet) chocolate, melted- I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao
2 c strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 whole kiwi's, peeled, sliced down center and sliced into 1/2 circles
1/2 c blackberries
1/2 c blueberries
1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves, heated in microwave for 15-20 seconds with 1 tsp of water

Place a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom onto a baking sheet. Carefully drape puff pastry into pan, cutting off excess at top. Dock the bottom of pastry. Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 400F, until pastry has risen slightly and is flaky. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

With an offset spatula, spread melted dark chocolate to within an inch of edge of pastry. Let cool.

Again with offset spatula, cover cooled chocolate with cooled pastry cream (recipe below).

In a decorative pattern, place sliced fruit on top of pastry. Brush fruit with blackberry preserves. Chill completely in refrigerator before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Pastry Cream

1 c whole milk
1/4 c sugar
1/2 of a vanilla bean, split down center
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt

In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and half of the sugar and whisk until the mixture turns a light yellow. Then add the flour and salt, mixing well. Set aside.

In a 2 qt saucepan place other half of the sugar, milk and vanilla bean on medium heat. When mixture begins to simmer well, take off of heat and carefully remove vanilla bean (dry and save for another use, such as vanilla sugar).

Very carefully and slowly add a small amount, about a cup, of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, constantly stirring, to temper the eggs making sure not to scramble. Once combined, add egg and milk mixture back to the pan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly, making sure nothing sticks to bottom of pan. Bring mixture to the boil for about one minute, until mixture thickens. Turn off heat and add butter.

Place into a shallow pan to cool and cover with saran wrap so that a skin does not form.

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15 comments:

Luna Raven said...

yummmmy! This came out beautifully and visually served my craving for fruit tart. Thanks for sharing!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Now that is what I call dessert!!

Barbara Bakes said...

What is that glaze made of anyway. I'm sure I'd love your version. It sounds perfect.

Peter M said...

I hope this means you've got your blogging mojo again...post more of these lush desserts!

The Double Dipped Life said...

This really sounds good. I love the addition of the chocolate!

Chef Chuck said...

That look so good! I love the chocolate!
You do a wonderful job!!

Amy B. said...

Wow, delicioso! :D Grr, now I'm craving for some! hhaha, such a sinful dessert but i love it. Thanks for sharing this, i wanna share this to my friends in Foodista . If you don't mind just adding the foodista widget for puff pastry at the end of this post then that would be great! Thanks, keep em coming

Megan said...

I like that you used dark chocolate. I've made my own version too, but I used semi sweet. Looks delicious!!!
I think I just got a craving. :/

Fahrenheit 350° said...

Forget the filling! Look at that crust! Heavenly!

Kristen said...

Oh my gosh - that looks amazing!

Dewi said...

Such a beautiful and refreshing tart!

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I have visited this blog (thanks Lesley Erb)and so glad I did. That looks awesome and makes me want to try to make a tart again. Yummy!

chris said...

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!! (not sure why I didn't comment earlier) Yum!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

LimeCake said...

that tart looks delicious!

DayDreamHero said...

Good stuff ... I love the tart from Safeway and made this one which was pretty dang close. The only thing I need to figure out how to do is keep the fruit from getting soft. There is some sort of "glaze" or whatever that keeps them from getting soft ... not sure how (but I'll figure it out).