Fruit Tart Minis

Many of my close friends know that I'm completely addicted to MasterChef. Somehow I missed the first couple of episodes this year, so I've been obsessively stalking Hulu each week to catch up as soon as new episodes are released. The recipe for these fruit tarts was inspired by one of the challenges on MasterChef, and I'm really excited to share my version of a French classic with you!


Fruit Tart Minis Recipe, Makes About 18
Crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg, whisked

Pastry Cream:
1 egg
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup milk (I used skim)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 tbsp butter
1/3 tsp vanilla extract

Also needed:
rolling pin
mini muffin pan


To make the crust, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Section the cold butter into roughly 1/2 inch chunks. Add half the butter to the flour mixture and mix. When the butter is incorporated, add the other half. Mix until crumbly. Add the whisked egg to the mixture, and stir until the dough comes together. You'll be rolling the dough, so you want to make sure that it is not too dry and will stick together. You may add a few tablespoons of cold water to achieve the right consistency. Cover the dough completely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the pastry cream, whisk together the egg, sugar, and cornstarch. In a separate pot, add the milk, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla. Heat over medium-high heat while stirring until the mixture begins to boil. Add the egg mixture and continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat and continue stirring for 1 more minute. When the mixture cools down a little, pour it through a sifter into a bowl to remove lumps. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until cool.

To assemble the fruit tart minis, first preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Turn your mini muffin pan face down and coat with cooking spray. (You will be using the bottom of the mini muffin cups to shape the crusts for your mini fruit tarts.) Roll out the cold dough to between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch thick. Make cuts in the dough with a cookie cutter and place one cut on each mini muffin cup. Press down gently to shape the dough around the cup. Poke holes in the dough with a fork so that the air can escape during baking. Bake your mini muffin crusts in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove the cups from the muffin pan and flip over. (Each cup should have a small dip in the center for the pastry cream filling.) Fill each crust with a dollop of chilled pastry cream and top with desired fruit.

Tips and Suggestions:
-I used strawberries and blueberries to top my fruit tart minis because they are in season. Feel free to use pineapples, mangos, peaches, blackberries, raspberries...
-I used skim milk to cut down on calories (and it's also what I had in my fridge). For a creamier texture and richer taste, use 2% or whole milk.
-Have fruit tart minis at a party. Make the shells and pastry cream ahead of time, and set out cut fruit for guests to assemble their own.

Aren't these fruit tart minis just too classy and adorable? Don't you just almost NOT want to eat them? Nah, there's always more where that came from, so go ahead, put it on a plate and enjoy!