Free Form Fruit And Nut Pies Recipes

FREE-FORM FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Spread pastry cream evenly on the bottom of the crust. Arrange fruit in overlapping concentric rows, beginning at outside edge and working in towards the center. For a "fruit salad" tart, toss fruit in a bowl with a drop of Kirsch (optional). Pile the fruit on the pastry cream.
• Edge the crust with the nuts and sprinkle on fruit at the edge of the tart. Either brush glaze on the fruit or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
• For the dough: Place flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add butter and pulse about 12 to 15 times until the mixture is reduced to a fine powder. Do not allow to become pasty. Add egg and liquid, and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball.
• Remove dough from work bowl to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 5-inch disk. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic and chill until firm before using.
• To make a free-form tart crust, roll dough to a 12-inch disk and transfer it to a parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheet, or the back of a jelly-roll pan. Using a plate or cardboard disk as a pattern, trim the dough to an even 12-inch diameter. Fold under 1/2-inch of dough along the edge of the dough, then flute the edge as if it were a pie, to make the edge stand up. Use the thumb and index finger of one hand on the outside of the tart shell and the index finger of the other hand on the inside and pinch gently from the outside while pressing lightly from the inside. Repeat all around the edge of the crust.
• Pierce the dough with a fork before baking. Place the dough on the middle rack of a preheated 400 degree oven. Lower temperature to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and transfer to a rack to cool. For the Pastry Cream: Combine sugar, flour and salt in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart non-reactive saucepan. Stir with a small whisk to mix. Whisk in milk, then egg and yolk. Place over low heat, whisking constantly, until the pastry cream thickens and comes to a boil. Allow to boil 10 or 15 seconds, whisking constantly.
• Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter. Scrape the pastry cream into a non-reactive bowl and press plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Stir in liqueur just before using pastry cream. For the glaze: In a small saucepan bring the preserves and water or liqueur to a simmer, stirring often. Strain into another pan and return to a boil. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. NOTE: If tart is mostly red fruit, use currant jelly and strawberry or raspberry preserves.

FREE FORM TART SHELLS

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder. When well combined, add the butter and pulse the machine until the butter is broken up into the flour mixture. Add the egg and water and process until the dough forms a dough.
• Transfer the dough into waxed paper; pat it (with floured hands if need be) into a flat round and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes or until it has relaxed and you can roll it out.
• Divide the dough into approximately 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured board roll out the pieces until slightly thicker than 1/8th-inch thick. Rather than bother fitting them into tartlet shells and prebaking them, simply shape them into rough rounds (3 inches or 3 1/2 inches round) or cut them into hearts or rectangles. Transfer the free form shapes to a baking sheet and chill 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scraps can be shaped into smaller cookies.
• Prick the dough with a fork (just as you would the bottom dough of a tartlet shell) so the dough doesn't puff up. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove them from the oven to a rack and let them cool. When completely cool top with whatever you like.
• To make a topping that simulates a fruit tart gently warm the red currant jelly in a saucepan and brush over the free form tart shells. Arrange some sliced berries over the top and center a whole one in the middle if you wish. You can glaze with more warm currant glaze or pipe whipped cream on top or dust with confectioner's sugar.
• You could also brush bottoms with warm glaze and set other fruit over top or brush bottoms with some lemon curd and top with fruit.