Make your next celebration memorable with these colorful and tasty tarts while there is an abundance of fresh fruit available.
We’re back! We’ve been out of the country and now we’re in recovery mode.
While I’m putting together a few of my favorite food shots from the Holy Lands, I thought I would share some easy fruit tarts we served at a wedding shower recently.
Make small tarts or a larger one if you prefer. A dab of currant jelly adds sparkle.
You might notice this is one more way to dress up cream pie filling–an obsession with me here lately. It’s just so easy with a microwave!
Make them easy with a pat-in-the-pan recipe for the shortbread crust. (Pink molds available at World Market.)
| Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts |
|
- Tart Crust:
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), chilled
- 1 egg yolk, broken with a fork
- Cream Filling:
- 2-3/4 cups milk (I use 2-1/2 cups nonfat milk + 1/4 cup whipping cream but any type will work)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Cut butter into 8 slices and add to flour, pulsing several times until mixture resembles oatmeal. Add egg yolk. (Go ahead and add the egg white if you want a sturdier but not quite as tender crust.)Pulse until all ingredients are moistened but not yet a solid ball. (See note below if mixture seems too dry.) Lightly press into a ball, cover and chill 30 minutes.
- Pull off small amount of dough and press into molds with fingers being careful to keep thickness consistent. Use a knife to trim off any extra at the top. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Place frozen tart shells on cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Watch carefully as the time can vary according to the thickness of the crust.
- Add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender. Blend 5 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 6 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth after 3 minutes, then every minute thereafter.
- Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Fill each baked tart shell with cream filling. Top with fruit of your choice. Melt 1/4 cup currant jelly and use a brush to dab some shininess on each piece of fruit. It’s OK if some drips onto the cream.
1. If dough in food processor seems too dry to press into a ball, add a teaspoon or two of milk, cream or yogurt.
2. Tarts are best eaten the day they are assembled.
3. A dollop of whip cream makes these even better.
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{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful! The little tarts looks amazingly delicious and your photo is over the top gorgeous! Such clarity!
Lorraine recently posted..Trash to Treasure ~ A Garden Screen
These are gorgeous! I want to eat one right now. So festive for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Welcome back! These look so delicious, Paula. I adore the mini-pink molds. Have a great holiday weekend!
Nina recently posted..louisa’s cake
And just when I think your pictures of food can’t get any better, you make these beauties!!!
Welcome home!!!
Oh dear…major impulse to bite the screen! So beautiful Paula, and yet simple too. Thanks for sharing these.
Suzanne recently posted..Raspberry & White Nectarine Crisp
Gorgeous! I love to serve ‘little bites’ for dessert, and these are perfect. Love the use of seasonal berries, too.
Hi Paula! Welcome home! Love these tarts, so pretty and being the shortbread lover that I am, I think I could eat at least 4 or 5 of these in one sitting! Thanks for the tip about where to get the tart shells, so cute!
The Café Sucré Farine recently posted..Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread (Incognito)
I love the mini pies, they are so cute. I can’t wait to hear about your trip.
Have a great holiday weekend.
Mimi
Mimi recently posted..4th of July Cookies
I’m making some mini tarts for a wedding I’m doing in November and I’ll be remembering this recipe! I know I’m making chocolate and pumpkin but I might I have to add a vanilla too! Your little tart crusts look perfext!
Megan recently posted..100_2355_edited-1
Oh my goodness don’t these look fab? Yum!
Kristen recently posted..Homemade eCreamery 3 Cocoa Bean Chocolate Ice Cream
Saw your little tarts on FG and just wanted to pop in to say how cute they are. They are adorable and that filling looks really yummy.
Beautiful! Glad you arrived back safe and sound. These photographs are mouth-watering!
Paula recently posted..Canada Day Cookies
Welcome home….we missed you! So glad you were able to visit the Holy Lands. We toured Israel in March of 2006 and it was breathtaking and overwhelming to see. Many goosebump moments. Thank you for sharing through your blog…I enjoy your insights, photos and recipes.
These tarts look so beautiful. You arranged the fruit perfectly. Your photographs made me very hungry!
Looks adorable… To make the cream in the microwave … I have to try it…
Ispahan recently posted..One more Restaurant in London: trendy and fascinating: The Wapping Project
Beautiful and the technique of making pastry cream in the microwave is a novel idea for me! Will try it one of these days!
Looks stunning and very yummy!!
Karen recently posted..Pizza Tricolore
These tarts are the perfect way to serve all of the beautiful fruit that’s in season right now. Your little pink tart molds are adorable too!
Can’t wait to hear about your trip!
omgg these are amazing!
I will def try these out at home!
So, my missionary farewell is this Sunday. I am expecting 300+ for brunch. I am doing every bit of it myself since it is Sunday, I can’t hire anyone. Just finished making the pastry cream for the tarts. So delightful and easy. I am hoping it is okay to keep it chilled in the fridge until I fill the shells. I have a box of premade pidi shells from a company in New York. I plan on filling them with your pastry cream and decorating them with the fruit and jelly like you said to. I need to make these the night before, and hope they will hold up, as our church meeting is at 8:30 A.M. and we will be eating about 11:00. I will let you know how they turned out. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, I’m kinda nervous for you. Praying that everything turns out perfectly! I actually am making these myself right now for a party at my work tomorrow. I am baking the shells tonight and also preparing the cream. I’ll put the cream in my tarts in the morning and top with the fruit before I head to work. Can’t wait to hear how it all goes for you. paula
Hi Paula,
I stummbled upon your blog….and i’m speechless !!
I love these tarts !!! I haven’t seen anything better looking and inviting than these !!!
They are simply DELISH !!!
I love your food photographs…..why don’t you share some food photography lessons to your blog !! Would love to take some lessons from you.
Great place.
Thanks for your kind words Gauri, I’m still learning on the food photography. Not even close to giving lessons myself.
I tried making the Cream Filling. I did everything it says on the directions, but my filling ends up liquid filling instead of thick filling like yours. What am I doing wrong?
I doubled the recipe because I needed to make around 30 of these… and I couldn’t get my cream to thicken, even after adding an entire 6.5oz container of corn starch. Guess next time i’ll try to separate batches :/
Hi Ms. Not Betty Crocker,
If you were making it in the microwave, you should almost double the cooking time. That’s why microwaves are best for small batches. Other than that, I’m not sure what went wrong although an entire container of cornstarch would make it inedible, I would think. YIKES! I do hope you’ll try it again with a single batch and I think you’ll be happier with the results. pr
How many mini tarts does this recipe make?
Great recipe for the cream filling! It was so easy and turned out perfect in the microwave. I’m never going to slave over a stove for pastry cream again. One note for those that didn’t get it to set up – I had to microwave mine for 7 minutes instead of 6 before it thickened.
Hi,
I am making these for supper club tomorrow and was wondering if I can make the shells and the filling ahead of time? would I just cover the shells with foil overnight? would i put saran wrap over the cream and refrigerate overnight? If I let the cream stay in the fridge all night, I was wondering how I will fill the shells tomorrow, because won’t it be a lot thicker once it gets cold?
thanks!!
crystal
Hi Crystal,
Yes, you can make it all ahead of time, just don’t assemble until and hour or two before eating. You can store the shells in an airtight container, like cookies. And yes, Saran wrap over the cream will work fine. Yes the cream gets thicker but no problem. Just use a whisk and whip it up good and it will loosen up.
Hope all turns out well. paula
Could you tell me what size your tart molds are? We don’t have a World Market near here and they are not on their website. There are so many sizes of molds I wanted to make sure I got as close to yours as possible. Thanks!
Umm they look really good cant wait to make them for the next holiday.Cant wait
Hi Paula. I tried making your tarts for my mom’s Mother’s Day dessert, but the tarts just crumble and fall apart whenever I pull them out of the molds! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Can you help?
Adeline,
Since I didn’t watch you make them, I can only guess. Did you make any changes or substitutions to the recipe? Are they sticking to the molds? If so, spray them with Pam first. I REALLY like the silicone molds because nothing sticks to them. Be sure the crust is an even thickness when you make them and be sure they are cooked long enough. You can always buy pre-baked tart shells if necessary. Hope this helps. PR
Hi Paula:
I have the same problem as Adeline. I made the mini fruit tarts, but the crust just fell apart. I was able to get a few good ones, but when I put fruits in, the strawberry slices are a bit heavy and broke the edge too. Is there anything I can change to make the crust more firm? THanks.
Cherry, I am so sorry to hear this. It sounds like the edges may be too thin and therefore, too delicate. You could also try using the whole egg instead of just the yolk to make the crust a little more sturdy.
Happy mother’s day. I took your suggestion and used a whole egg and they turned out very good. The filling is amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe, they are delicious. I’m bringing these for the mother’s day gathering tonight.
And I have to give your recipe 5 stars
Thanks Cherry,
So glad they turned out for you. I will add a note to the recipe.