Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Pastry)
- 250 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 125 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 30 g almond flour
- 2 g salt
- 1 egg, room temperature
Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 40 g cornstarch
- 30 g unsalted butter, room temperature
Assembly & Glaze
- 250 g strawberries, hulled and halved
- 125 g raspberries
- 100 g blueberries
- 100 g apricot preserves
- 15 ml water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 522 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 72 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 37 g
- Sodium
- 146 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 12 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 168 mg
- Potassium
- 258 mg
- Calcium
- 118 mg
- Iron
- 1.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 34 mg
- Phosphorus
- 171 mg
- Zinc
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 208 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 25 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.27 mg
- Niacin
- 0.9 mg
- Folate
- 41 mcg
- Water
- 131 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
To make the dough, combine flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt in a food processor. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and pulse just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Form into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thickness. Line the tart pan, trim excess, dock the bottom with a fork, and freeze for 15 minutes to prevent shrinking.
Line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and paper, then bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
For the pastry cream, bring milk and vanilla bean (seeds and pod) to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale, then whisk in cornstarch.
Temper the eggs by slowly pouring half the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking vigorously, until the mixture boils and thickens. Boil for 1 minute to cook out the starch.
Remove from heat. Discard vanilla pod. Whisk in the butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface (to prevent skin formation). Chill until completely cold (about 2 hours).
Whisk the chilled pastry cream to loosen it, then spread evenly into the cooled tart shell. Arrange strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries in a decorative pattern on top.
Heat apricot preserves with water until liquid. Strain if chunky. Gently brush the fruit with the glaze for shine and to prevent drying out.
Chef's Notes
- To ensure a waterproof barrier between the cream and the crust, you can brush a thin layer of melted white chocolate inside the cooled tart shell before adding the cream.
- When tempering eggs, pour the hot milk slowly; if you pour too fast, you risk scrambling the eggs.
- For the 'fraisage' technique: after mixing the dough, smear it across the counter with the heel of your hand once or twice to ensure butter is perfectly incorporated without developing gluten.
- Always use room temperature berries; cold berries will cause condensation on the pastry cream.
- If using a vanilla bean, dry the used pod after removing it from the milk and stick it in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Best eaten same day as crust will soften over time.
Troubleshooting
Pastry cream is runny
Cause: The cream was not brought to a full boil or wasn't cooked long enough to activate the cornstarch
Fix: Cannot be fixed easily once cooled; can serve as pudding
Prevention: Ensure the custard bubbles in the center while whisking before removing from heat
Tart shell shrank during baking
Cause: Dough was overworked or not chilled enough before baking
Fix: Trim uneven edges carefully with a serrated knife
Prevention: Rest dough sufficiently and freeze the lined tart pan before baking
Cultural Context
The Tarte aux Fruits is a ubiquitous display in French boulangerie windows. It represents the fundamental mastery of three distinct pastry arts: the dough (pâte), the custard (crème), and the fruit work (fruitier).
