Classic French Fruit Tart

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the pastry dough

   Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt together in a food processor. Scatter the cold butter cubes over the top and pulse in short bursts until the mixture looks like coarse sand with a few butter pieces the size of peas. Whisk the egg yolk with the vanilla, drizzle it in, and pulse just until the dough starts clumping around the blade. It should hold together when you squeeze a handful; if it stays powdery, add cold water half a teaspoon at a time. Stop as soon as it comes together — overworking here is what turns a tender shell tough.

2. 2

   Shape and chill

   Turn the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a disc about an inch thick, and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This rest lets the flour hydrate and firms the butter back up, which is what keeps the sides from slumping in the oven.

3. 3

   Line the pan

   Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment into an 11-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Peel off the top sheet, invert the dough over a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, and ease it into the corners without stretching it — stretched dough shrinks back as it bakes. Press it firmly up the fluted sides, then run your rolling pin across the rim to shear off the overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork and freeze the lined shell for 30 minutes.

4. 4

   Blind bake the shell

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the frozen shell with a sheet of parchment, pressing it well into the corners, and fill it to the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift out the parchment and weights and bake another 12 to 15 minutes, until the base is dry and the whole shell is an even golden brown. Because the filling never goes in the oven, the shell needs to be fully baked now, not just set. Cool completely in the pan.

5. 5

   Start the pastry cream

   Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steam rises and small bubbles ring the edge. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl, then whisk in the yolks. Keep whisking for about 30 seconds, until the mixture loosens from a stiff paste into a smooth, pale ribbon.

6. 6

   Temper and thicken

   Pour about a third of the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly, then whisk that mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking into the corners the entire time, until it thickens suddenly and large bubbles break the surface. Let it bubble for a full 60 seconds — that's what cooks out the raw starch taste and deactivates the enzyme in the yolks that would otherwise thin the cream as it sits. Pull it off the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste.

7. 7

   Strain and chill the cream

   Press the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to catch any bits of cooked egg. Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface so no skin forms and refrigerate at least 3 hours, until cold and firmly set. It will look stiff — whisk it smooth and glossy again right before you use it.

8. 8

   Fill the shell

   Set the cooled shell on a serving plate, removing the outer ring. Whisk the cold pastry cream until creamy, then spread it into the shell in an even layer with an offset spatula, flush with the top edge.

9. 9

   Arrange the fruit

   Pat the fruit thoroughly dry — wet fruit weeps into the cream and softens the shell. Arrange it over the surface in concentric rings, starting at the outer edge and working inward, overlapping slightly so no cream shows through. Work with the shapes you have rather than forcing uniformity; the rings do the visual heavy lifting.

10. 10

    Glaze and serve

    Warm the apricot jam with the water until fluid, then strain out any fruit solids. Dab it over the fruit with a soft pastry brush, using a light touch so you don't dislodge anything. Chill the tart for 30 minutes to set the glaze, then slice with a thin sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Split the work across two days: shell and pastry cream one day, assembly the next. Both keep well separately, but the assembled tart is best within hours.

• 2.

  Pie weights need to reach the top of the shell, not just cover the base. A half-filled shell is exactly how you end up with slumped, shrunken sides.

• 3.

  If the baked shell has a hairline crack, brush the inside with a little melted white chocolate and let it set before filling. It seals the crack and doubles as moisture-proofing.

• 4.

  Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, and thin pear or peach slices all hold their shape well. Skip anything that browns fast, like banana or apple, unless you glaze it immediately.

• 5.

  No vanilla bean paste? Use the same amount of good vanilla extract, stirred in off the heat so the flavor doesn't cook away.

• 6.

  If your pastry cream turns lumpy, keep whisking vigorously over the heat — most lumps work out, and the sieve catches the rest.

Equipment

• 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom
• Food processor
• Rolling pin
• Pie weights or dried beans
• Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
• Balloon whisk
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Offset spatula
• Pastry brush

Storage