Fruit Tart
There is nothing like a fruit tart. Buttery crust, smooth mascarpone cream, and artfully arranged fresh fruit come together to make an elegant and impressive dessert that is shockingly easy to make. Put together the crust and cream filling in advance, then assemble everything before serving. You can also slice your fruit in advance for ultra-quick assembly! Switch out the fruit according to what is most fresh and in season; you’ll have a slightly different but equally impressive result each and every time!
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 tbsp cold heavy cream
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
- 8 oz mascarpone, room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract seeds scraped from half of a vanilla bean (or use 1 extra teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
Fruit & Glaze
- assorted fresh sliced fruit optional glaze: 1 Tablespoon combined with 2 Tablespoons orange or apricot preserves
Instructions
For the crust:
- Whisk the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside. For the next steps, you can either use a pastry cutter or a food processor. Either method is effective.
- Using a pastry cutter: Whisk the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Place the cubed butter on top and cut in using the pastry cutter until the entire mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs– a few larger crumbs is OK. Pour the heavy cream mixture on top and stir to combine. You can use your hands to really get it all combined if needed.
- Using a food processor: Add the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs; some of the crumbs can be slightly larger. Pour in your heavy cream mixture, then pulse until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
- Place your dough ball on a lightly floured surface and flatten into a disc that is approximately 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake your crust, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 9-inch circle. Place your dough circle into a greased 9-inch tart pan, pressing it into the pan and up the sides until it is even all around. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes; your crust should go into the oven as cold as possible.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator, line the inside with foil, and fill with rice, beans, or pie weights. The pie weights are important because they prevent your crust from puffing up, shrinking, or losing shape. If you don’t want to use pie weights, you can freeze the shaped dough and bake it from frozen. It will take about 20 minutes to bake this way.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven, reduce oven heat to 350°F, and carefully remove the foil and weights. Using a fork, prick holes across the bottom and sides of the crust to prevent puffing. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 5-6 more minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling.
For the cream filling:
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Set aside. In the same mixing bowl (no need to wipe completely clean), beat the mascarpone for 1 minute on medium-high speed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean. Beat on medium-high speed until fully combined. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream. Spread the filling into your cooled crust. You can refrigerate your tart until you’re ready to garnish with fruit, or you can choose to garnish right away.
- Garnish the tart with fresh fruit, feeling free to experiment with different designs. If you choose to make the optional glaze, whisk the ingredients together, warm for about 15 seconds in the microwave, then brush on top of the fruit. Slice your tart and serve. Any leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.
Notes
There is nothing like a fruit tart. Buttery crust, smooth mascarpone cream, and artfully arranged fresh fruit come together to make an elegant and impressive dessert that is shockingly easy to make. Put together the crust and cream filling in advance, then assemble everything before serving. You can also slice your fruit in advance for ultra-quick assembly! Switch out the fruit according to what is most fresh and in season; you’ll have a slightly different but equally impressive result each and every time!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!