Known to have originated in the medieval times, tarts were a favorite in France and England, and helped add color to a table layout. In America, pop tarts or pastries filled with fruits were introduced by Kelloggâs during the 1960s. To make them melt in your mouth, all tarts are filled with cream. Sliced fruits add a flush of color and look simply delightful dotted atop the pastry. The luster on tarts is due to the glazing which makes them appear newly baked, moist and juicy. While preparing tarts, baking the pastry to perfection is a must do, it should come out crunchy and buttery. Dig into this succulent and crusty dessert with ice cream, jelly, whipped cream, or custard.
Complexity level:
Easy
Time taken:
60 minutes
Ingredients:
Flour (3 cups)
Fruits (such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapples, plums, kiwis and melons)
Apricot jam (1 cup)
Milk
Eggs
White sugar
Butter
Salt
Process:
To make the pastry, start by whipping the flour with some salt. Next, beat the butter, and when it becomes sufficiently soft, mix in sugar. Blend the butter and sugar mixture till fluffy, then add in the beaten eggs. Now, combine the flour with this fusion and roll the ingredients into a ball of dough. Flatten the dough on a container and refrigerate or freeze till it becomes stiff. Lastly, bake it in a tart pan till it turns golden brown.
Once done, glaze the pastry and then daub it with rich cream. Smear a thick and even layer of cream using a spatula. Next, arrange the fruits on top of the cream. Choose any pattern you like for setting out the fruits, and work your way inside after starting from the outer edge. A circle or row arrangement has been an age old favorite, you can get creative and try your own design, a trendy layout off late is to just pile on fruits in a slapdash way making the display look muddled. Brush glaze lightly on the fruits. To taste the fresh goodness of fruits, have the tart on the day you assemble fruits on it. You can also refrigerate it for some time before serving.
Tips:
After making the pastry, you need to chill it. If you have popped it in the freezer then 10-15 minutes will be enough, but if you have refrigerated it, then it needs to stay there for 15-30 minutes.
To make the glazing, just heat apricot jam and strain it.
Glazing the fruit has two benefits, one is that the luster makes them look a lot more attractive, and it also prevents them from drying out.
The crust should also be glazed, which is a rather good idea as it can get soggy when you layer cream on top. Just brush the glaze on the pastry and set it aside for 15-20 minutes to dry thoroughly.
To save time at the last minute, you can prepare the pastry and cream beforehand, even a few days in advance. Combine the pastry, cream and fruits just before doling out the dessert.
