Fresh Green Tart Recipes

FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream. In the bowl of a food processor with a blade attachment, pulse the flour, butter, sugar and salt until no big chunks of butter remain. Slowly add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture. Blend to combine but don't overwork the dough.
• Remove the dough and, turning it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it 4 or 5 times to incorporate.
• Divide the dough in half if making one large tart. Divide the dough into four pieces if making mini tarts. Flatten the dough pieces into discs with your hands, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. (Freeze any remaining pieces for another project for up to 3 months.)
• Make the pastry cream: Put a damp kitchen towel under a medium bowl and whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar until the yolks are lighter in color, about 2 minutes. (The towel will ensure the bowl doesn't slide around.) Add the cornstarch and salt, whisk again, and set the bowl aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and the remaining sugar 1/4 cup sugar and cook until the mixture almost boils, 4 to 5 minutes. With one hand, start whisking the egg yolk mixture; with the other hand, slowly drizzle the hot milk into the bowl, whisking until all the milk is incorporated.
• Pour the custard back into the saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, on medium-high heat, until the mixture is thick and one bubble plops up on top, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the custard from the heat and pour into a clean medium bowl. Don't scrape the pot if the bottom looks burned or like scrambled eggs. Now, stir in the butter and vanilla. Keep stirring until the butter melts. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl so it is touching the pastry cream, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake the tart shell or shells: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a circle (about 9 inches across and 1/2 inch thick for one large tart and about 6 inches across and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick for four mini tarts.
• Lay the dough onto the tart pan, and then using your fingers, gently press it down. Try not to tear the dough or make it too thin. Ideally, it should be an even thickness all the way across.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the edges so the dough is perfectly even with the top of the tart shell (see Cook's Note). Place the tart shell on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes in the bottom of the tart shell to keep bubbles from forming during baking. Refrigerate the tart shell for 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tart shells if using.
• Remove the pan or pans from the fridge and lay a piece of parchment over the chilled dough. Fill the uncooked tart shell with pie weights or dried beans or uncooked rice.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then, using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Return the baking sheet to the oven, continuing to bake until the crust is golden brown, 5 to 8 more minutes. Let the pan or pans cool on a wire rack.
• Make the glaze and finish the tart: In a medium pot over medium heat, cook the apricot jam and water. Stir with a fork as it cooks until the mixture is a thin, shiny liquid, about 3 minutes.
• Take the pastry cream from the fridge and, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat the pastry cream to loosen it up. Spread the pastry cream in a thin 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer on the bottom of the tart shell.
• Carefully cut the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, mangos and figs. Arrange the fruit so there is no visible pastry cream. (You can make the tart look awesome by laying the fruit in cool patterns.)
• Once the fruit is arranged, use a soft pastry brush to paint it with the warm apricot glaze. Don't leave any bare spots. Make sure to glaze all the fruit. Take your time.
• Cut and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

FRESH APPLE TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour but not more than 1 day.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the apple filling.
• In a medium bowl, toss diced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Mix in walnuts.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 3-inch tart pans. Remove tart dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Knead dough briefly on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle, and carefully fit one circle into each tart pan.
• Spoon an equal amount of apple mixture into each tart pan. Fold pastry over filling. Place filled tarts on a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Melt apricot jam and brush over finished tarts, if desired.

ALMOND TART DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour, almonds, sesame seeds, salt, and spices. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add egg yolk and ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Process until dough just comes together
• Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

EASY FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray; dust with Bisquick mix. In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and 1/3 cup sugar. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Stir in egg until soft dough forms. Pat dough into 12x10-inch rectangle on cookie sheet; pinch edges of rectangle to form 1/2-inch rim.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool crust on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. Remove crust with spatula onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in whipping cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Spread over crust to within 1/4 inch of rim. Arrange fruits on top. Brush jelly over fruits. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

FRESH GRAPE TARTS

Steps:

• Puree 1 1/2 cups grapes in processor. Strain grape puree, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible. Pour 1/2 cup grape juice into large bowl; discard any remaining juice. Cut 4 3/4 cups grapes lengthwise in half; add all grapes to juice in bowl. Add sugar, 6 tablespoons flour, and lemon juice; toss to blend well. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 11-inch square. Cut off just enough pastry from corners to form rough circle. Transfer pastry to 1 prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over center of pastry, leaving 2 1/2-inch plain border. Spoon half of grape mixture, including juices, into center of pastry. Fold pastry edges up over grapes, forming 2- to 2 1/2-inch border. Dot grapes with 1 tablespoon butter. Repeat with remaining ingredients for second tart.
• Bake tarts until crusts are golden brown and grape juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes (crust border will unfold slightly). Cool tarts to room temperature. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

HOMEMADE FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• PASTRY:.
• Combine flour, sugar and salt and place in freezer for 30 minutes.
• Cut butter into 1/4" pieces.
• Put flour mxiture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
• Add butter and pulse about 10 times until butter forms small bits. Add ice water and process until dough comes together. Place on a well-floured board and form into a disc.
• Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit 5 minutes.
• Roll dough into 1/16" thick circle, large enough to hang slightly over the sides of a 10" tart pan with removable bottom.
• Place dough in pan and cut off excess dough with a sharp knife or your thumb.
• Line tart shell with aluminum foil, then fill with dried beans or rice.
• Bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and foil; prick bottom of a shell with tines of fork to allow steam to eascape.
• Bake another 20 minutes until browned. Cool to room temperature.
• PASTRY CREAM:.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment(or using a hand held mixer), beat egg yolks and sugar on medium-speed about 3 minutes, until mixture is light yellow and falls back into bowl in a ribbon. On low speed, beat in cornstarch.
• In a large saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Slowly pour milk into egg mxiture, whisking steadily, then pour back into saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon until mixture is thick, about 4 minutes.
• Bring to a boil and cook then on low heat 2-3 more minutes. (Taste to be sure cornstach is cooked.).
• Remove from heat; mix in butter, vanilla, cream and cognac. Pour through a strainer into a bowl.
• Place plastic wrap directly onto custard(so it won't form a skin) and refrigerate until cold.
• ASSEMBLY & GARNISHES:.
• Place baked tart shell on serving plate and spread with pastry cream over bottom of shell.
• Slice and group fruit to make casual arrangement. Place larger fruit first, then fill spaces with berries &/or grapes. Use colorful fruit, such as halved strawberries or a grouping of raspberries, near the center for focus and height.
• (other fruit garnishes besides the ones listed above -- fresh orange, sliced or fresh lime, sliced or fresh apricot, sliced or fresh peach, sliced).
• Place sprinkling of almonds over tart, and use oranges &/or limes to garnish.
• GLAZE:.
• In small saucepan(or microwave-safe bowl), melt jelly with 1 tablespoon water.
• Brush glaze over fruit and serve as soon as possible to avoid soggy pastry.
• *TIP: Don't be afraid to be creative, this is the perfect palette!

PEA & LEEK SUPER-GREEN TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Lightly dust a surface with flour, then roll out the pastry into a circle. Use to line a 22cm tart tin (3cm deep) with a removable base. Trim away any excess pastry that hangs over the top and chill while you make the filling.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the leek in a single layer and fry for a minute, then add 50ml water and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 4 mins (check it doesn't dry out). Whisk the cream and egg together, then mix in the spinach and peas.
• Tip the pea mixture into the base of the tart and arrange the leek on top. (If you don't want the leeks on top, then stir them through the pea mixture.) Break the mozzarella pearls in half and dot them over the tart. Put the tart on the baking sheet and bake for 30 mins, or until the filling is cooked through. Leave to rest for 5 mins before cutting.

FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Make the Pate Sucree. Make the Pastry Cream and set it aside.
• Remove the pate sucree from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and knead it slightly to make it malleable if it feels stiff. Using a rolling pin, press the dough to flatten it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Generously flick flour over the work surface and the dough. Make sure the surface you are rolling on is well floured so that the dough does not stick to it; likewise, make sure the disk itself is floured well enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking to it. Carefully roll out the disk into a circle about 10 inches in diameter. Roll from the center of the disk outward and gently rotate the disk 90 degrees (a quarter-turn) after each roll to ensure that the disk gets stretched out evenly into a nice circle. Use a bench scraper to help move the dough by scraping underneath the dough and moving it around. Don't worry if the dough breaks a bit, especially toward the edges. You can easily patch these tears up once you've lined the tart pan.
• Once the dough circle is about 10 inches in diameter, dock it by poking it all over with a fork or a pastry docker (see Cook's Note). Roll it gently around the rolling pin, then unfurl it over an 8-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the tart pan, taking care to press into the corners. Trim the edge of the shell even with the top of the tart pan. Use any scraps or odd pieces to patch up any tears or missing bits. Make sure the entire tart pan is completely covered with dough, and press one last time all the way around to ensure that any holes have been patched up.
• Refrigerate the tart shell for at least 30 minutes to let the dough rest; the gluten needs a little time to relax so it doesn't shrink in the oven. (At this point you can wrap the tart shell well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until it is golden brown all around. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. (At this point the tart shell can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
• In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it holds a peak and is thick and soft. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
• Gently pop the tart shell out of the pan. Place the tart shell on a serving plate. (Hint: The tart shell has a tendency to slide around a bit, so anchor it to the plate by putting a small spoonful of the pastry cream mixture directly on the plate before placing the tart shell on it.) Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Stem and quarter the strawberries and place them on top of the cream with one cut side down, spaced randomly but evenly. Peel the kiwi and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/2 -inch-thick half-moons. (If using green grapes instead of kiwis, slice the grapes in half.) Place the kiwi slices in the cream against the cut side of the strawberries. Peel the mango and cut it into thin slices about 1 x 1 inch. Place the mango in the cream next to the kiwi. Slice the blackberries in half if they are large and place them in the cream in random places. Fill the empty spots on the tart with raspberries, blueberries, and any extra mango. The goal is to cover the whole tart with fruit and not have any cream visible. The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled or it will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator; serve within 6 hours.
• 1 large egg yolk (about 20 grams), at room temperature
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and light. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and paddle on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is entirely incorporated. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before using. The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-high heat until just before it comes to a boil, when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. (Mixing the cornstarch into the sugar will prevent it from clumping when you add it to the egg yolks.) Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in the sugar-cornstarch mixture until completely incorporated. Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs.
• When the milk is all whisked into the egg yolk mixture, return everything to the saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously for about 1 minute. At first the mixture will be very frothy and liquid; as it cooks more, it will slowly start to thicken until the frothy bubbles disappear, the mixture starts to steam, and the whole thing become more viscous. After 1 minute, stop whisking every few seconds to see if the mixture has come to a boil. If not, keep whisking vigorously. As soon as you do see it boiling, whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds, then immediately pour the pastry cream through a sieve into an airtight container. Stir in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until cold, before using. The pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

FRESH GREEN TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press the tart dough into a 13 1/2 x 4-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a fork, lightly prick all over the bottom of the dough. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Line with parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights; continue baking until the crust is golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil. Add the bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and scallions; toss together. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Spread the pesto evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the vegetable mixture on top. Garnish with chervil and almonds.
• In a food processor, pulse the flour, almonds, sesame seeds, salt, and spices. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add the egg yolk and ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Process until the dough just comes together (do not overprocess).
• Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients except salt and pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. The pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.