French Berry Torte Recipes

FRESH BERRY TART

Steps:

• Place the butter and sugar in a food processor. Pulse about 15 times until sugar disappears. Add the flour and salt and pulse again about 15 times until the butter is no larger than small peas.
• Stir together the egg yolk and cream. Add to the food processor and pulse about 8 times, just until incorporated. The dough should be in crumbly pieces. Transfer the dough to a platic bag and press from the outside just until it holds together.
• Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, knead the dough a few times until it becomes one smooth piece. Flatten into a 6-inch disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes until firm enough to put into the tart pan.
• Roll the dough between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap into an 1/8-inch-thick circle. Work quickly so that dough does not soften. If it becomes too soft, place it (in the plastic wrap) on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
• Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. For a 9 & 1/2- by 1-inch tart pan, cut the dough to an 11-inch circle. Lift the dough using the plastic wrap. Invert the dough and drape it evenly into the tart pan. Remove the plastic wrap and press dough into the sides of the pan. The dough should come about 1/8 inch above the rim of the pan because it will fall during baking.
• Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. When the dough starts to puff, prick it lightly with a fork. Then bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. (The baked crust will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)
• Whisk together the eggs and cornstarch. Gradually add 1/4 cup half-and-half. Whisk until smooth and the cornstarch is dissolved.
• Place the sugar in a medium heavy nonreactive saucepan. Stir in the remaining 1 & 3/4 cups of half-and-half and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk 2 tablespoons of hot mixture into egg mixture. Pass the egg mixture through a strainer into a small bowl.
• Bring the half-and-half mixture to a boil again. Quickly add the egg mixture and whisk rapidly for 20-30 seconds. The mixture should become very thick.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Immediately pour into a bowl and place a piece of greased plastic wrap down into the bowl directly over cream to prevent a skin from forming.
• Cool to room temperature (about an hour). Then refrigerate until cold. May be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.
• Whip the desired amount of heavy cream. Fold into the pastry cream. (For this recipe, I used roughly equal amounts of pastry cream and whipped cream.)
• If using preserves with whole fruit or seeds, microwave until liquid and bubbling, stirring once or twice. Strain. This should yield about 3 tablespoons. Brush onto the bottom and sides of cooled crust.
• Spread the pastry cream evenly into the crust. Place fresh berries on top. Refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.

BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix flour, butter, and powdered sugar together until a dough forms. Press dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, toss blueberries with cornstarch and place in a saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and lemon extract. Simmer, stirring gently to avoid crushing the berries, until sugar dissolves and filling thickens, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Pour blueberry filling over the cooled crust. Let cool before slicing.

FRENCH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Crust: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until pea-size lumps remain. Stir together yolks and 2 tablespoons ice-cold water; drizzle over flour mixture, pulsing just until dough holds together when pressed between your fingers. (If still too dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, or freeze up to 1 month.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch round fluted tart pan, gently pressing dough into edges. Run a rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough (patch any tears with dough scraps, if necessary). Line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice.
• Bake until crust is dry, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; return to oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Brush bottom and sides evenly with chocolate; refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Custard: Meanwhile, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks; whisk until smooth. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking, until mixture has the texture of thick pudding, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Let cool completely. Whisk in sour cream until combined; transfer to crust and refrigerate until custard is set, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.
• Topping: In a small saucepan or a microwave, warm apricot jam with 2 teaspoons water just until melted (if jam is chunky, strain through a sieve). Drizzle over berries; gently stir to evenly coat. Spoon mixture over custard; serve.

HEAVENLY BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Add vinegar, tossing with a fork to moisten. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. , For filling, lightly smash 2 cups blueberries in a bowl. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into smashed blueberries. Spread mixture evenly into crust; sprinkle with 1 cup of the remaining whole blueberries. Place tart pan on a baking sheet., Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven; arrange remaining berries over top. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

BERRY BLITZ TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two round 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the paper, then lightly flour the pans.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or electric beaters, beat 1/2 cup softened butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating, until well combined. Add half the cake flour mixture, then half the milk to the butter mixture, beating until smooth. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk, then beat in vanilla and nutmeg. Scrape batter evenly into prepared pans and smooth the tops.
• To make meringue topping, whip egg whites with cream of tartar and salt in an electric mixer until cloudlike and very foamy. Continue whipping while adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip until meringue is smooth and glossy, and stiff peaks form.
• Cover cake batter with meringue, dividing it evenly between pans. Swirl the tops, and sprinkle with pecans. Bake until meringue is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center all the way down to the cake emerges clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes; turn cake out of pan and place on rack right-side up. Let cakes cool completely.
• To assemble, whip the cream with as much of the sugar as you like, and vanilla. Place one cake layer on a serving plate with the meringue side down. Spoon whipped cream on top, then cover with berries. Place second cake layer on top of whipped cream with meringue side up. Serve cake as soon as possible after filling, preferably within 3 hours, and use a serrated knife to cut.

BLUEBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Mix graham crackers, butter, and white sugar together in a bowl; press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Chill crust until firm, about 1 hour.
• Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly onto crust; top with blueberry pie filling. Chill until firm, 4 hours or overnight.

CLASSIC FRENCH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Make the Crust: Complete the pâte sucrée through baking and cooling.
• Make the Pastry Cream: In a medium pot, heat the milk until just boiling. Remove the pot from heat. While the milk is warming, in a heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Whisk until the mixture is very smooth and has lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add about a quarter of the hot milk into the egg mixture. (This is called tempering. Tempering the eggs helps raise their temperature without cooking them, and helps emulsify them into the milk.) Pour the milk-tempered egg mixture into the pot of the remaining milk. Whisk to combine. Return the pot to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent "scrambled eggs," especially on the sides and bottom, until the magic happens and the pastry cream thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and vanilla and cook one minute more, whisking constantly. The pastry cream should make thick, lazy bubbles. (See note below if you see any coagulated bits of egg in your custard.) Pour the thickened pastry cream into a clean, shallow bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and push it down in the bowl so it sits directly on the surface of the pastry cream. This prevents a skin from forming on top. Chill until cold, a few hours (or up to 2 days before serving).
• Assemble the Tart: Remove the tart ring and transfer the tart shell to a serving platter. Whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth, then spread it evenly into the tart shell using an offset spatula. Arrange a generous amount of fruit over the pastry cream in your desired design. In a small saucepan, heat the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water over medium heat, whisking, until thin. (Alternatively, heat it in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds.) If the jam is especially chunky, strain it through a sieve. Use a pastry brush to gently dab the fruit with a thin layer of apricot glaze. Chill until ready to serve.
• Note: Avoid melon and other fruit with high moisture content, like sliced citrus. These will wilt quickly and seep moisture into the pastry cream. Also avoid oxidizing fruit like apples and bananas; these fruits will turn brown. Berries should be fully dried after rinsing (raspberries should not be washed) and strawberries should be sliced.
• Note: If you see any coagulated egg bits in your finished custard, strain the hot pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The pastry cream can be made up to 2 days before serving. The tart can be assembled and refrigerated up to one day before serving.

TRIPLE BERRY TART

Steps:

• Prepare piecrust according to package directions to fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until light golden brown. Cool completely.
• Combine mascarpone and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, beating with an electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon mixture into crust, spreading evenly.
• Gently combine berries and place on filling. Release sides of pan from bottom before serving.
• Makes 1 (9 inch) tart.
• *NOTE: Tart may be assembled two hours ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

FLAG BERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Make red and white tarts: In a small bowl in the microwave or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, heat chocolate until it is just melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, spread half the chocolate over bottom of each of 2 tart shells; refrigerate to set, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat raspberry jam in a small saucepan with about 1 tablespoon water; strain into a small bowl.
• Remove lined shells from refrigerator. Spread a third of the creme fraiche filling over bottom of each. Arrange red raspberries in rows in a single layer in one tart shell; brush berries with strained jam. Arrange another layer of rows on top; brush with jam. Set aside. Arrange golden raspberries in other shell, and dust with confectioners' sugar to completely coat. Set aside.
• Make blue tart: Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan with about 1 tablespoon water; strain into a medium bowl. Using a pastry brush, thinly coat bottom of tart shell; let cool. Spread remaining creme fraiche filling on top.Toss blueberries with remaining jam; tumble into tart shell. Arrange on a serving tray or board.

FRENCH BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Place a yogurt strainer or a mesh strainer lined with a fine cheesecloth or coffee filter over a jar to catch the whey and place the yogurt into the prepared strainer; place the jar(s) in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 24 hours.
• Prepare the tart shell as directed and allow to cool.
• While cooling, prepare the blueberry topping by placing half the blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, sugar and water in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and cook until thickened and clear; stir in the remaining berries; set aside and allow to cool until it just warm to the touch.
• Place the strained yogurt in a medium mixing bowl, whisk in powdered sugar.
• Spoon the sweetened yogurt into the cooled tar shell and top with blueberry topping.
• Place in refrigerator and allow to sit until thoroughly chilled.

BERRIES & CREAM TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture., Line two baking sheets with parchment or greased aluminum foil; draw a 9-3/4-in. circle on each. Spoon a fourth of the batter onto each circle; spread evenly with a spoon to within 1/4 in. of edge. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter., Combine the sugar, confectioner's sugar and cornstarch. In a large bowl, beat cream and sugar mixture until stiff peaks form. To assemble, place 1 cookie layer on a large serving plate. Top with 1-1/2 cups whipped cream mixture and 2 cups of mixed berries. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cookie layer and whipped cream mixture. Arrange remaining berries on top. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.