Fresh Fruit Tart

Made this for Memorial Day BBQ.

Source: Cooks Illustrated
Prepared By: Andrea
Serves: 8-10

You will need:

A tart pan

Pastry cream:
2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 c granulated sugar
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks - remove chalaze (those white cords)
3 TBSP cornstarch
4 TBSP cold butter cut into pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pastry (pie crust)
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 TBSP butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Fruit Glaze (I skipped this but you could try it - it should make the tart more glossy)
1/2 cup red currant or apple jelly

Process:

For the Pastry Cream: Heat the whole milk or half-and-half, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt in medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until they are thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the milk mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering milk into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure every bit makes it into the saucepan. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly (this is important, don’t stop stirring!), until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds to one minute. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to medium bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface, and refrigerate until the pastry cream is cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours.

For the Tart Pastry: While the pastry cream is chilling, whisk together the yolk, 1 tablespoon cream, and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the dry ingredients and cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry blender (this can also be done in a food processor). The mixture should resemble coarse meal when the butter has been cut in completely. Add the egg mixture and using your fingers or a wooden spoon, gently mix the ingredients together until they just come together. If the dough is overly dry, add 1/2 tablespoon cream at a time to moisten the dough. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk. Wrap completely and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until it softens a bit). Unwrap the dough and roll it out between lightly floured large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap until it is 13-inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to a tart pan by rolling dough loosely around a rolling pin and unrolling over a 9- to 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Working around the edges of the pan, ease the dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the dough with one hand while pressing the dough into the corners with other hand. Press the dough into the fluted sides of pan. (If some edges are too thin, reinforce sides by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove excess dough. Set dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes (can be sealed in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month).

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet. Press a large piece of tin foil inside the frozen shell and over the edges (use two overlapping pieces of foil if needed) and fill with pie weights or dry beans (which is what I use). Bake the shell until it is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights by gathering the edges of the foil and pulling up and out. Return the crust to the oven and continue to bake until light and golden brown, 3-5 minutes longer. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

To Assemble and Glaze the Tart: When the tart shell is completely cool, spread cold pastry cream over the bottom, using an offset spatula or large spoon. At this point, you can press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate the filled shell for up to 30 minutes. Arrange the fruit on top of pastry cream.

(I skipped this step)
Bring the jelly to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to smooth out lumps. When boiling and completely melted, apply the jelly to the tart by dabbing and flicking it onto the fruit with a pastry brush; add 1 teaspoon water and return the jelly to a boil if it becomes too thick to drizzle. (The tart can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 30 minutes.)