Fresh Fruit Tart With Boysenberry Cream Food

FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• To make pastry: Using fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal; stir in sugar and egg yolks; press mixture together to form a ball and refrigerate in plastic wrap for 30 minutes; preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll pastry between two sheets of wax paper, making the pastry large enough to cover base and sides of a buttered 9-inch fluted tart pan; trim edges; place sheet of foil into pastry and fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake 20-25 minutes; remove foil and beans and bake a further 5 minutes; allow to cool.
• To make custard: In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour until thick and pale; heat milk in saucepan until almost boiling; remove from heat. Slowly dribble in hot milk into egg mixture, whisking continuously, until all of milk has been added. Return custard to pot and cook, over medium-low heat, until custard has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (5-7 minutes). Place piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard (this prevents a 'skin' from forming) and allow to cool completely.
• To assemble: Spoon custard into baked pie shell and smooth. Place pieces of fruit attractively over tart. Heat apicot jam until it is quite liquid and brush this generously over the fresh fruit to set and seal the tart. Allow to cool completely.
• Serve the same day of making. Refrigerate any leftovers.

FRESH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, cornmeal and lemon juice to form a dough. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 425° for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack., For filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Arrange berries or fruit over filling. Refrigerate while preparing glaze., For fruit glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, apricot nectar and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Cool; brush over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

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!

FRUIT TART WITH PASTRY CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry dough to a thickness of about a 1/4 inch, and as even as possible. Don't spend too much time rolling it, though, or you'll overwork the dough, and the pastry will be too tough.
• Now cut the dough into circles that are a little larger than the diameter of the tart tin you're going to use. In this case, you're making 4-inch tarts, so you'd cut out circles about 4 1/2 inches across.
• Press the circles of dough into the tart tins. You want to get a tight fit against the bottom and sides. Trim off any excess dough by running your rolling pin over the tops of the tart tins.
• Line the shells with parchment paper and fill with uncooked beans, rice, or pie weights to prevent the crust from puffing up while it bakes.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until the shells are a nice golden brown color.
• Remove the pie weights and the paper, and let the shells cool all the way before removing them from the tins.
• While they're cooling, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan along with about a tablespoon of water until it liquefies.
•  Pour the glaze through a wire mesh strainer and into a small bowl to remove any bits of fruit.
• Now pipe the shells half full of pastry cream. Or you could just spoon it in and gently smooth it down.
• Next, arrange your fruit on top of the pastry cream, about a 1/2 cup per tart.
• Finally, brush each one with the apricot glaze.
• Refrigerate the tarts for at least an hour, until it's time to serve them.

EASY BOYSENBERRY COBBLER

Steps:

• Place butter in an 8x8" pan and place in a 350 degree oven to melt.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine milk and lemon juice and pour into the flour mixutre. Stir lightly until no dry spots remain. Remove pan from oven once butter has melted and pour the batter into the melted butter. Do not stir.
• Arrange berries on top of batter, continuing to be careful not to stir the butter into the batter. Top with the turbinado sugar.
• Bake 40-50 minutes until the top is golden and the berries are bubbling from the top. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

FRESH FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix with a fork until blended. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Divide dough into six portions. Press each portion into a greased 4-1/2-in. tart pan. bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonfuls into each cooled tart shell. Arrange berries over filling., In a small saucepan, melt preserves over medium heat; stir until smooth. Brush over berries.

FRESH FRUIT AND CREAM TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare Rich Tart Pastry; divide dough into 8 portions. On a floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten 1 portion. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Line a 4-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with pastry. Press pastry into fluted sides of tart pan; trim edges. Prick bottom and sides of pastry. Repeat with remaining 7 portions of pastry. Line pastry shells with a double thickness of foil. Place on a large baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes more or until pastry shells are golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare and chill Pastry Cream. To serve, divide the chilled Pastry Cream among the pastry shells. Arrange fresh fruit on top of each tart.* Remove sides of tart pans. Makes 8 slices. Rich Tart Pastry
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until pieces are pea size. In a small bowl stir together egg yolks and ice water. Gradually stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture. Using your fingers, gently knead the pastry just until a ball forms. Cover pastry with plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 60 minutes or until pastry is easy to handle. Pastry Cream
• In a heavy medium saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in half-and-half or light cream. If desired, add vanilla bean. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Gradually stir half of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all of the egg yolk mixture to saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean. Strain into a bowl. If not using vanilla bean, stir in vanilla. Place bowl of pastry cream in a bowl of ice water; chill for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill 4 hours or until cold; do not stir. Makes 2 cups.

CRISPY TART WITH FRESH FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and place another sheet pan on top of it. Bake between the 2 sheet pans until it barely begins to take on color, about 10 minutes. The puff pastry may rise unevenly in sections. If that happens, release the air by gently piercing the dough with the tip of a paring knife. Mix the corn syrup and water together. Remove the puff pastry from the oven and brush the top with the corn syrup mixture. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and flip over the puff pastry. Peel off the parchment paper that is now on top and brush this side with the corn syrup mixture.
• Using a sharp paring knife and a plate as your guide, cut about a 10-inch circle from the half-baked puff pastry. Discard the excess dough. I cut the circles when the dough is half-baked so they will keep their shape. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the puff pastry circle back in the oven and continue to bake until crispy and golden brown, about another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack until completely cooled.
• Using a pastry brush, coat one side of each cooled circle with the tempered chocolate and allow the chocolate to set at room temperature, about 5 minutes. This layer of chocolate keeps the tarts from getting soggy. When the chocolate has set, spread about 2 tablespoons of pastry cream on each tart shell on top the chocolate coating. Cover with assorted sliced fresh fruit. It looks best to arrange the fruit in a sunburst pattern, fanning each type of fruit from the center of the circle toward the edge. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with powdered sugar right before you serve them. A great finish for this dessert is a sugar cage over the top.
• Suggested presentation: Sugar cage, recipe follows.
• For the Classic Puff Pastry: Place the flour, salt, melted butter, and most of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer as soon as the ingredients begin to form a dough and pull away from the side of the bowl. If the dough appears too dry and does not come together, add the remaining water and mix just until combined. Do not over mix or you will over-develop the gluten. It is very important to keep gluten development to a minimum in this recipe, or the finished puff pastry will be tough and chewy instead of delicate and crispy. Remove the dough from the mixer and pat it into a 5-inch square about 2-inches thick. Wrap the dough completely in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Resting the dough allows the gluten strands that have developed to relax.
• Work the cold butter into a square that is about a third smaller than the dough square, and about 1-inch thick. Place the butter on a lightly floured work surface and, keeping it square shaped, use a rolling pin to give it a few quick raps. This will soften the butter. It should be about the same consistency as the puff pastry dough. Lightly flour the butter and rolling pin as needed to keep it from sticking.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use the rolling pin to make a mark about 1-inch from each corner of the dough. Roll only this part of each corner away from the center of the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick. The center of the dough should be about 1-inch thick. Place the butter square in the center of the dough square. Pull the rolled-out corners up and over the butter, completely enclosing it in a dough package. When the butter has been added, the dough is referred to as a paton.
• The paton is now ready to be folded. You will need to give the dough six single folds, allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours after every 2 folds. To begin, use a rolling pin and roll the paton into a 10 by 23-inch rectangle. Try to keep it an even thickness. Place the dough horizontally in front of you so it will be easier to fold. Fold the dough in thirds by first folding the left end over the middle and then folding the right third over it. Rotate the dough to make sure the seam is on your right. This is known as a single fold, or a letter fold because it resembles the way a letter is folded. Repeat the single fold starting with a 10 by 23-inch rectangle placed horizontally in front of you. To show that you have folded the dough two times, make two indentations in the dough with your fingertips. At this stage, the puff pastry must be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 1 day.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and give it two more single folds, starting each time with a 10 by 23-inch rectangle. Make four indentations in the dough with your fingertips representing the four folds. At this stage, the puff pastry must be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 1 day.
• For the Pastry Cream: Sift together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined. Pour the milk and the remaining 1/4-cup sugar into a 2-quart saucepan and place the saucepan over medium-high heat. While the milk is heating, use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Add the seeds and the skin to the heating milk and bring to a boil.
• Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk by carefully pouring about half of the milk into the egg mixture. Immediately whisk to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and continue to whisk. Continuously whisk to ensure that the mixture cooks evenly. Once the pastry cream has come to a boil, continue to whisk and cook for another 2 minutes to fully develop the flavor of the pastry cream and to cook out the flavor of the starch. Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any pieces of cooked egg and the vanilla bean.
• If you would like to add butter, this is the time to add it. Cut the butter into small chunks and stir it in until it is well incorporated. Pour the pastry cream into a clean, airtight container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days, until ready to use
• Flavor the cream according to your taste. For example, with a whisk or spatula, slowly fold about 1 tablespoon of any flavored liqueur into the cream at any point in the recipe, tasting often. If you add too much, the cream will become runny and lose its shape. If you prefer to add flavor without alcohol, place the zest of 1 orange in the heating milk to infuse the flavor into the pastry cream. Store the pastry cream well wrapped in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook the sugar mixture until it reaches 311 degrees F, or what is known as the "hard crack" stage. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a medium-sized, microwave-able glass bowl.
• Wash, dry, and lightly but thoroughly coat with cooking spray a clean, dry bowl that matches the diameter of whatever you're placing the sugar cage over. Dip the tines of a fork into the hot sugar. Carefully but quickly wave the fork over the inside of the bowl, allowing the sugar to drip off the fork in long, thin strands. Try to distribute the strands evenly on the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure to come all the way to the rim, however, not so thick that you can't see the bowl through the sugar.
• Using a sharp chef's knife, slice the edge of the cage clean by scraping the blade of the knife along the rim of the bowl. Set aside to cool, about 5 minutes.
• To unmold the cage, place your thumbs on the outside of the bowl and your fingers on the inside of the sugar cage. Gently pull the cage loose from the side and bottom of the bowl; you will be able to see the cage release from the inside of the bowl. You will need to apply this gentle pressure all around the inside of the bowl. Once the cage has released from the bowl, carefully lift it out and place it over the dessert. If the sugar is still too warm, the cage may begin to collapse. A good idea is to release the cage from the bowl but leave it in the bowl until it has cooled completely. This will ensure that it keeps its shape. (At this stage, the cage can be stored, right side up, in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for one to two days.)
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

FRESH FRUIT TART WITH BOYSENBERRY CREAM

Steps:

• For filling:
• Beat egg and yolks in small bowl to blend. Dissolve cornstarch in lemon juice in small bowl. Mix into eggs. Puree berries and sugar in blender. Strain puree through a fine sieve into medium saucepan. Add butter and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk hot berry mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan and cook until filling is very thick and boils, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Transfer filling to small bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent skin from forming; refrigerate at least 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
• For crust:
• Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and lemon peel and process using on/off turns until coarse meal forms. Add lemon juice and process until moist clumps form. Gather into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 45 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Let soften slightly at room temperature before continuing.)
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch-thick round. Fold dough over rolling pin and transfer to 9x1-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Gently press dough into pan. Trim and finish edges. Chill 15 minutes. Line dough with foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake 15 minutes. Remove beans and foil and bake until crust is golden, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer crust to rack and cool.
• Spread filling evenly in crust. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, in irregular pattern on filling. Fill in with raspberries and boysenberries. Tuck peach slices between berries. Stir currant jelly in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush jelly over fruit to glaze. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)