Tarte Any Fruits Recipe

Make the dough

Whisk together flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut the cold cubed butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, ice water, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the flour-butter mixture and gently mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Do not overwork. If dry, add an extra 1 teaspoon ice water.

Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1/8-inch thickness and large enough to fit a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Carefully transfer dough to the pan, pressing into corners and trimming excess with a knife or rolling pin. Chill shell in fridge for 15 minutes to firm.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the chilled shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind-bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake another 8–10 minutes until edges are golden and bottom is set. If the bottom puffs, dock with a fork and press gently to flatten. Let cool completely on a rack.

Prepare infused milk

Pour milk into a medium saucepan. Add the split vanilla bean (scrape seeds into milk and toss pod in) or 1 tsp vanilla extract. Heat over medium until steaming and small bubbles form at the edge; do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes if using bean, then remove pod.

While milk steeps, whisk the egg yolks with granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in cornstarch until smooth and no lumps remain.

Slowly temper: pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly to raise temperature. Pour tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan.

Return saucepan to medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil (about 1–2 minutes). Continue cooking while whisking for 30–60 seconds to cook out raw starch taste. Remove from heat.

Whisk in the butter until fully incorporated and glossy. If desired, strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl for extra smoothness. Cover surface with plastic wrap pressed directly onto cream to prevent a skin. Chill until cool, at least 2 hours.

Bring chilled tart shell to room temperature if very cold. Spoon or pipe the chilled pastry cream into the tart shell, smoothing the top with an offset spatula to an even layer about 1/2 inch thick.

Arrange the prepared fruit over the pastry cream. For an attractive layout: make concentric circles starting with sliced strawberries or peaches around the edge, then alternate rows of kiwi slices, blueberries, and raspberries. Press fruit lightly into cream so it adheres.

Warm the apricot jam with the water in a small saucepan over low heat, or microwave briefly, until smooth and thin enough to brush. Strain if necessary to remove chunks.

Using a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze over the fruit to give shine and help preserve freshness. Be careful not to pool glaze in the tart; a thin even coat is enough.

Chill the finished tart for at least 30 minutes to set glaze and cream. Serve within 24 hours for best texture. Store refrigerated.