Fruit Tart

This post is a dessert so my daughter must have been involved.  What better way to showcase my daughter but by introducing her to the Shine Yahoo world.

Maybe that’s a good thing for me to say because how can a guy as tough as me make a tart?  Now, nobody say anything about that question.  It is a rhetorical question.  We thought this would look good and we could use fruit that would enable us to make an American flag.  Our ode to the 4th of July.  This is a pretty healthy dessert recipe so enjoy it and indulge yourself.

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup  granulated white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pastry Cream:

1 1/4 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch(corn flour)

1/2 tablespoon Grand Marnier

 Sweet Pastry Crust:  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture a little at a time and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or just until firm.

Lightly butter and flour, or spray with a non-stick vegetable/flour cooking spray, an 8 – 9 inch (20 – 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Place tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake crust for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees  and continue to bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Can be covered and stored for a few days.

Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. (Don’t let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Mix the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the milk and vanilla extract just to boiling (just until milk starts to foam up.) Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.) Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Beat or whisk before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

To Assemble Tart: To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down your arm. If you want to remove the bottom of the pan, run a knife or thin metal spatula between the crust and metal bottom, then slide the tart onto your platter.

Spread the pastry cream onto the bottom of the tart shell. Place fruit on top of cream in rows making the American flag.

So you will be alternating between the raspberries and the blueberries.