Ithaca Love: Veg'n Recipes and Ideas: Fruit Tarts!

I have been obsessed with fruit tarts for awhile. I have been making them several times a week, nearly every other day, for the last month. When I found out about the fruit tart challenge from foodbeam.com, I thought that it would be the perfect thing to push me to be more innovative! As a college physicist, I am both cheap and like to take short cuts. My favorite fruit tarts involve blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mangoes, (and kiwi, which I've since discovered I'm allergic to) so I needed something I would be able to eat but also cheap to buy in the winter. Apples! The only problem is that the texture of apples are much too hard, so I came up with the solution to bake them first. The recipe is in three parts: the shell, the filling, and the topping.

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For the shell, you will need:

*1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature (I usually use organic)
*1/4 cup of granulated white sugar
*1 egg, beaten
*1/8 teaspoon salt
*1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (for those with gluten or wheat allergies, I tried substituting this with the Red Barron wheat-free, gluten-free all purpose flour, but the shell completely crumbled when I removed it from the pan)

I suggest using a stand mixer to mix the dough if you have one available, although it might contribute to shell shrinkage if you over mix. It took about 10 minutes to form the dough using my KitchenAid. For those using a stand mixer, I used the lowest setting for all steps and used only the flat beater attachment.

First beat the butter with the sugar until creamy, being careful to not over beat. Add the egg and mix for a few more minutes. Finally add the salt and flour and mix until a dough forms.

Dough Takes Awhile to Mix

Ready to Refrigerate!

This step takes awhile. If you're using a stand mixer, the dough will lump around the flat beater when it's finished. Form the dough into a disk, surround it in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes. (A better idea to prevent shell shrinkage is to store your flour and sugar in the freezer. Then you can skip the step of putting the dough in the fridge to cool; using the dough right away in this way allows for nearly perfect shells!)

When you are rolling the dough, it's easiest to fold it back over your rolling pin to lift gently into the tart pan. Rather than pushing the dough into the corners, I've had better success reducing shell shrinkage by pushing dough into the corners before pressing onto the sides. Mini tart shells can be more difficult to make well because of this problem, and during some of the trials, the sides completely disappeared! Don't worry though, because tart cookies (the shells with no sides) are still cute and extremely tasty. To get a perfect edge along the top, take the rolling pin to roll across the top edge of the pan. The excess dough will come right off! If you don't have pie weights, poke holes throughout the bottom of your shell with a fork. (This is the method I choose.) Bake at 375 degrees for 11-12 minutes. Despite the ventilation holes at the bottom, some shells will forms a bubble on the bottom when they come out of the oven. Push down on them for a few seconds with a fork while they are still warm and it will flatten nicely. Allow to cool on a flat surface.

Uncooked Shells

Cooked Tartlette Shells

Cooked 9 inch Shell

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For the filling, you will need:

*3 large egg yolks
*1/4 cup granulated white sugar
*1 1/4 cups milk (I usually use organic fat-free milk)
*1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (using pure makes a huge difference over the imitation)
*1/8 cup all purpose flour
*2 tablespoons corn starch

Heat the milk and vanilla on your stove top over medium heat. Separate three eggs to obtain just the yolk. Don't worry, getting a bit of egg white into the cream don't make any noticeable difference. My method for separation is to crack an egg into a bowl, then using a large metal spoon, pick up the yolk and let gravity pull the egg whites away. Easy Peasy!

While allowing the milk mixture to warm up, mix the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl (I used the metal mixing bowl from the KitchenAid). I have found this step to be easiest when using a wooden spoon, although any type will work.

You cannot allow the egg to sit for too long or it'll begin to form pieces of egg, although if it happens, you can strain out those pieces later. Add the flour and corn starch to the egg mixture and mix well. At this point, you will have a thick paste. Next, bring the milk to a boil while stirring, then remove from heat immediately. Pour the milk into the bowl containing your egg mixture and mix well.

When that's completed (should not take long), put the mixture back into your sauce pan and heat up until again boiling. You will begin to see lumps form, this is normal. Your cream is thickening up! Once the cream is boiling, remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl. Cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing lightly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.

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For the topping, you will need:

*4-6 pink lady apples
*cinnamon (optional)
*milk chocolate
*rose leaves

This is the fun part! I love decorating the top with fruit. Since apples are really too crunchy, I thinly sliced them and baked them on a cookie tray for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. While those were cooling, I washed rose leaves and allowed them to dry.

Thinner Slices Make Fruit Arrangement Easier

Place milk chocolate chips/pieces in a bowl and heat over boiling water or place in the microwave. This time I opted to place them in a microwave because it was faster and easier. I melted them for about 30 seconds on high, mixed the chips with a fork, and then microwaved them for another 30 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the chocolate onto the back of the rose leaves. (A slightly thick layer of chocolate is helpful to prevent the chocolate from breaking when your remove the original leaves.)

Remove the Leaves Slowly

Don't Remove Leaves Too Soon! (Like the Three On the Right)
When you are finished, place the leaves in the fridge for 10-20 minutes before peeling the leaves off the chocolate. I discovered that it's best to not reuse the leaves, as they begin to tear and become too fragile after the first use.

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Now you can assemble the tart! Spread the filling into the shell (or shells if you chose to use mini-shell pans as I did this time).

Shell Filled with Cream

Place the apple slices over the filling, completely covering the cream.

Filled, Unglazed Tart

If you want to glaze the fruit and shell for a shiny look, add a spoonful of apricot jelly and a bit a water to a small sauce pan, and heat until liquid. Using a pastry brush, cover the top and sides of the tart.

When you are done, add a chocolate leaf or two! If you aren't using chocolate leaves, cinnamon might be a wonderful touch in it's place.