Let's Talk About Fruit Tarts

I have to be honest... I have a love/hate relationship with fruit tarts....


I've never been able to perfect a recipe for this sweet, nor find one, and I was just about to give up until I came across the site joyofbaking.com. Oh my goodness gracious. This fruit tart will have heads turn and mouths water for sure. Again, the following is not my own recipe!

This is the direct link to her website. :)

http://www.joyofbaking.com/FruitTart.html

Ingredients
Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pastry Cream:

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk (whole or 2%)

1/2 vanillabean, split lengthwise or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

3 large eggyolks

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (20 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch(corn flour)

1/2 tablespoon liqueur(Grand Marnier, Brandy, Kirsch) (optional)

Apricot Glaze: (optional)

1/2 cup (120 grams) apricot jam or preserves

1 tablespoon water

Topping:

3 cups (720 ml) fruit (raspberries, blackberries,strawberries, blueberries, kiwifruit, bananas, plums, pineapple, melon, etc.)
(I personally used blackberries, raspberries, kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries. yum)

I followed her instructions word for word and they are on her website.

Thought Blurbs

I've had a lot of failed attempts at fruit tarts... I don't know how but I'd always end up over baking the crust and the pastry cream would be too dense... fail.

This recipe has a good balance of both a sweet crumbly crust to light but rich cream. It is definitely a crowd pleaser and the fruits look like gems once you coat them with that sweet apricot glaze. Overall, this recipe was extremely easy to follow and delicious. This recipe would be one that would be great to make during the summer or spring when the fruits are nice and ripe.

Now, I do not own a tart pan in which is unfortunate... so I used a cake pan with low sides which worked out fine, but this definitely would look a lot better if you used a pan with fluted edges. It just adds to the beauty of the fruit and the elegance of the sweet overall.

Definitely go and try this out! Happy cooking. <3

Eggless Tiramisu Cups

Eggless Tiramisu

Thanksgiving is all about the turkey, but let's get real here... you can't forget about the desserts. Pumpkin pie is great but tiramisu is just so sexy and decadent, I can't help but make it every single year. This'll definitely have you popping that pants button open to stuff in every bite. It's easy to serve as well. No alcohol or eggs were harmed in the making of this recipe. :)

Ingredients:

Cheese layer

-1 8 oz package of Marscapone cheese
-1/2 c of heavy whipping cream
-1 tsp of vanilla

Biscuit Layer
- 1 package of lady fingers
- 1 c of water
- 3 tbsp of instant espresso
- cocoa powder

Cream topping
- 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
- 4 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla

Tools
- mixing bowls
- electric mixer
- spatula
- clear plastic cups
- frosting spatula
- strainer
- paper, scissors

Instructions

Let the Marscapone cheese get to room temperature. In a mixing bowl add 3 tbsp of sugar and the vanilla. Beat it with the spatula until incorporated and thickened. In a separate mixing bowl, beat your cream with the electric mixer and when soft peaks form, add the rest of the sugar. Don't over mix the cream or it'll separate! Mix until soft but not liquidy. Then add your cheese mixture to the cream and fold until incorporated. Be gentle. :) Set that aside. In another bowl, take 1/2 c of cream and beat it till it has soft peaks and then add the sugar. Beat until almost firm peaks form.

Cut your biscuits into thirds and set aside.

I use margherite cookies because they have an extremely light and crumbly texture that I think matches the Marscapone cheese more than ladyfingers do. 



Add your espresso to the hot water and let it cool. Take your biscuits and cut them into thirds with a bread knife.

You're going to create an assembly line of cheese mixture, biscuits, espresso, cocoa powder, and the cream top. Dip the lady fingers into the espresso and place them at the bottom of the cup. Add a spoonful of the cheese mixture on top, spreading it to the sides. Then, with a strainer, sprinkle your cocoa on top.






Repeat these steps 2 more times, and when the biscuits are exposed, take your frosting spatula and the whip cream mixture and add it to the top. Create a smooth surface since this'll be your blank canvas for the cocoa topping.















Cocoa topping
You can do this one of two ways. You can just sprinkle the tops with cocoa and call it a day, or make a cute design on top. I always make hearts, but you can mix it up. Cut out your shape in the paper, and place it on top of your tiramisu and sift the cocoa on top. Carefully remove them with tweezers or your hands if you're more courageous. :) Let these bad boys set up in the fridge for a good 6 hours before serving!

I really hope you guys try this out!

Happy cooking <3