Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

Name: Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 13-14 tarts
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour; 1/3 cup powdered sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), chilled; 1 egg yolk (from a large egg); 1 tablespoon heavy cream; 2-3/4 cups milk (I use 2-1/2 cups nonfat milk + 1/4 cup whipping cream but any type will work); 2/3 cup sugar; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 4 egg yolks; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup currant jelly

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Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts are shortbread-crusted miniature tarts.

Fill them with a light, creamy custard filling (made in the microwave), then top with fresh fruit of your choice.

Miniature-pies are easy to serve and easy to eat. Make your next celebration memorable with this gorgeous dessert.

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts--displayed on a cooling rack

We’re back! We’ve been out of the country and now we’re in recovery mode.

While I’m putting together a few of my favorite food shots from the Holy Lands, I’m sharing some easy, fresh fruit mini-tarts we served at a wedding shower recently.

variation--a full-size fruit tart — Make small tarts or a larger one if you prefer. A dab of currant jelly adds sparkle.

You might notice this is one more way to dress up cream pie filling–an obsession with me here lately. It’s just so easy with a microwave!

assembling fruit tarts — Make them easy with this recipe for the shortbread crust. Molds available from Amazon.

A few people have reported some difficulties with the crust, so I went back to my favorite cookie crust recipe. I like the texture better and hope you do, too.

Related Post: Mini Strawberry Tarts: Simple to Serve, Easy To Eat

Nevertheless, these mini-crusts are still somewhat tedious and not recommended for people who have never made a pie crust. Store-bought, pre-baked mini crusts are readily available and highly recommended if you are a novice baker or trying to make these in quantity.

By way of encouragement…

You can make the crusts ahead of time. The raw dough pressed into the molds will keep in the freezer for over a month. Planning ahead will give you plenty of time to practice and build your confidence.

4 Secrets For Making the Mini-Crusts

Grease and flour your molds generously.

If you use silicone molds like the ones shown in this post, you won’t have to worry about this. Otherwise, Baker’s Secret is perfect for the job.

Freezing the raw tart crusts is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

Otherwise, they will shrink and melt the minute they hit the oven.

Place foil inside crusts before baking.

Press the foil down against the crust. This will keep crusts from rising up in the middle while they bake. No other weight is necessary.

Save the used foil if you want to. It’s reusable with your next batch of crusts.

Turn the crusts out of the pan within 3-4 minutes after coming out of the oven.

Do it quickly, but gently. These are a bit fragile. On the other hand, they taste like a cookie so the broken ones make great eating all by themselves. (The crusts NEVER sticks to the silicone molds. I can’t recommend them enough.)

Related Post: Mascarpone Cheesecake Mini-Tarts–Easy To Customize

A Picture Tutorial for Making Mini-Tart Crusts:

I have included this picture from my post about Chocolate Ganache Mini-Tarts to illustrate the process of making the tart crusts.

rolling out mini-tart shells--showing the process — Never mind that the dough is chocolate in these pictures. The process is the same.

Pin the picture below to save for later.

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts - asssortment

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, consider helping other readers and me by returning to this post. Leave a rating on the recipe card itself underneath the picture. Although always appreciated, comments aren’t required. Thank you for visiting! Paula

Yield: 13-14 tarts

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

These shortbread-crusted tarts are filled with a light, creamy custard and topped with fresh fruit of your choice.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Tart Crust:

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), chilled
1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream Filling:

2-3/4 cups milk (I use 2-1/2 cups nonfat milk + 1/4 cup whipping cream but any type will work)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup currant jelly

Instructions

Crust:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Cut butter into 8 slices and add to flour, pulsing several times until mixture resembles oatmeal. Add egg yolk mixed with cream. Pulse until all ingredients are moistened. Then allow machine to run a few seconds until dough starts to stick together. (Add additional drops of cream if dough seems too dry.) Press dough into a roll like refrigerated cookie dough. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
Spray molds generously with Baker's Secret or something like it. (Baker's Secret is an aerosol spray that mixes flour and oil.) If using silicone molds, no greasing is necessary.
Slice roll of dough into 12 pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap into a circle slightly larger than tart molds. Press into mold with fingers being careful to keep thickness consistent. Use a knife to trim off any extra at the top. I usually have enough scraps to make another tart or two. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, overnight or up to a month.
Place frozen tart shells on cookie sheet and press a small square of foil down into each crust that molds to shape of crust. See picture above. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, usually about 3-4 minutes.

Cream Filling:

Add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender. Blend 5 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 6 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth after 3 minutes, then every minute thereafter.
Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Assembly:

Fill each baked tart shell with cream filling. Top with fruit of your choice. Melt 1/4 cup currant jelly and use a brush to dab some shininess on each piece of fruit. It's OK if some drips onto the cream.

Notes

1. If dough in food processor seems too dry to press into a ball, add a teaspoon or two of milk or cream.

2. Tarts are best eaten the day they are assembled.

3. A dollop of whip cream makes these even better.

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