Ingredients

- 4 egg yolks
- 2 c whole milk
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1-3/4 c flour
- 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c butter, melted
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 oz dark chocolate (60-65% cacao), coarsely chopped
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- 1/4 c fruit jam of your choice
- 1/4 c fruit jam of your choice
- 1 Tbsp water

Preparation

Pastry Cream

In a pan over low heat, simmer milk and vanilla, until it starts to steam.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar, then add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

Once the milk has warmed up, add about ½ c of the milk to the egg mixture while constantly whisking. This slow addition of hot milk while vigorously whisking will temper the egg yolks, without turning them into scrambled eggs.

Increase the heat on the stove to low-medium and add the egg mixture and lemon zest to the milk, whisking continuously.

Whisk continuously for 30 seconds, until the sauce thickens to a custard-like consistency (this will happen quickly!).

Remove from heat, place in a bowl, and let cool on the counter for a few minutes.

Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, cover it with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the cream. This will prevent it from forming a crust.

Place in the refrigerator to cool for 3 hours.

Sweet Tart Crust

Using a food processor, mix together flour, powdered sugar, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk, lemon zest, butter, and vanilla extract.

Add egg mixture to a food processor and pulse just until the crust sticks together when pressed between fingers.

Remove dough from the food processor and form into a flat disc, about 1″ thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough. Press dough into tart pan, making sure to press it into the edges as well.

Line crust with parchment paper and press into “corners” and sides well. Then, fill the parchment-lined crust with weights.

Chill in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°.

Bake crust for 25 minutes (leave the pie weights in place) until the edges start to brown.

Remove from oven, carefully scoop out pie weights, and let crust cool.

Chocolate Ganache (optional)

Using a double-boiler method, add dark chocolate pieces and heavy cream.

Stir continuously until the chocolate melts and the cream thickens.

Let cool for just a minute or two, then spread over the bottom of the tart crust.

Chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until the ganache firms up a bit.

Putting it all together

Remove the pastry cream from the fridge and spread it throughout the tart crust to form an even layer (if you chose not to use the chocolate ganache, this cream layer would go right on top of the crust).

Now, the fun part…decorating! Using any fruits you like, in any design you like, cut up your fruits and decorate the top of your fruit tart! Just press each piece of fruit gently on top of the pastry cream.

Fruit Glaze

In a small pan over low-medium heat, add the fruit jam of your choice and about 1 tablespoon of water. Stir continuously for about one minute, until the jam is smooth.

Using a silicone brush, gently touch the tops of the fruit with the glaze and watch it shine!

Serving

Serve your fresh fruit tart immediately or refrigerate for up to one day. FYI, I found that a pizza wheel cutter slices a fruit tart very nicely! Enjoy!