Fruit Tart
A homemade Fruit Tart with rich, sweet pastry, silky vanilla custard filling, and plenty of fresh seasonal fruit. The classic summer favourite, which is perfect for any special occasion, family gatherings or summer tea.
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Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry:
- 175 g Block Margarine or Butter (at room temperature)
- 65 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 250 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
For the Filling:
- 400 ml Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 Free-range Egg Yolks (see notes below)
- 60 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 2 tbsp Cornflour (Corn Starch)
- Fresh Fruit (berries, kiwi, citrus...)
- 1 tbsp Apricot Jam (Apricot Jelly)
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pastry:
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Lightly grease a 20cm (8-inch) loose-bottom tart tin and dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the caster sugar and butter/margarine until light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix to create a dough – you may need to use your hands.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently knead until it is smooth. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll your pastry dough into a large circle until it is a few centimetres larger than the diameter of your tart tin (around 26-28cm / 10-11 inches). Carefully transfer the pastry dough to your prepared tart tin, taking care not to trap too much air underneath, and gently press it into the sides. Leave a little overhang on the pastry, but trim off any large bits of excess overhang. Prick the bottom of your pastry with a fork, then line it with greaseproof paper and fill it with baking beans.
- Blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes before carefully removing the paper and baking beans (watch out, they will be hot!) and return the tart pastry to the oven to continue baking for a further 5-10 minutes, until it is a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and trim the remaining excess pastry overhang to leave a neat edge on your tart. Set aside while you prepare your filling.
For the Filling:
- Add the milk and vanilla to a large saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together until well combined.
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until everything is smooth and combined. Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously until very thick (think yoghurt in texture) - this may take up to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Pour the filling into the pastry and smooth it into the edges before topping with fresh fruit.
- In a small bowl or cup, mix the apricot jam with a tablespoon of boiling water until you have a thin sticky glaze. Brush the fruit with the apricot jam glaze to finish.
- Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until the custard is fully set. Once set, remove from the tin and cut into slices to serve.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES
Egg Size:
When it comes to eggs, I always buy the Mixed-weight Free-range Eggs. Generally speaking, egg size doesn’t make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean into the extremes. But with that in mind, medium-sized eggs are probably the best option if you are unsure what size eggs to use.Tried this recipe?
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