This berry tart has a shortcrust pastry base, is filled with an almond milk vanilla pastry cream, and topped with seasonal fresh berries.
Looking for another summer fruit treat? Check out this Healthy Fruit Dip with only 5 ingredients.
When summertime rolls around, I immediately start craving fresh fruit desserts. It can get over 100 degrees F here in Nashville and a light, summery dessert like this berry tart really hits the spot. This mixed berry tart has a shortcrust pastry base and is filled with vanilla custard (or pastry cream). It makes a great summer dessert (or breakfast 😉 ).
Why You’ll Love this Berry Tart
- Basic, yet delicious. There are no frills about this dessert. It’s a simple vanilla custard fruit tart = pastry shell, custard, fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. You can decorate it as fancy or as simple as you’d like.
- Can be entirely dairy-free. I personally try to stay away from regular milk so I make almost all of my bakes with almond milk, including custards, pastry cream, and puddings. Swap out the butter in the shortcrust pastry for shortening and you have a dairy-free dessert.
- Not super sweet. Almost all of the sweetness in this berry tart comes from the fresh fruit on top. The pastry has no sugar and the vanilla pastry cream only has a small amount of sugar. So, basically, this is a healthy dessert 🙂
How to make a fruit tart
Though there are multiple parts to this dessert, each is actually quite simple to make. You can make the elements in any order, however, because the pastry cream takes a few hours to set, I’d recommend starting with it first.
There are two main keys to success when making this vanilla pastry cream. First, heat the almond milk on the stove until it is almost boiling. This will save you tons of stirring time later. Second, you have to “temper” the eggs or you will end up with breakfast food instead of a nice smooth custard.
What is tempering eggs and why is it important?
Tempering eggs simply means gently warming up the egg mixture so that you don’t cook the eggs too quickly resulting in something resembling scrambled eggs. To do this, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture a little at a time while whisking constantly. Whisking helps to keep the eggs cool and aerated so that they can gradually heat up.
Once all the hot milk is combined with the egg mixture it should feel warm (but not hot) to the touch. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened. The funny thing about custard is that it is runny and liquidy (almost to the point where you think you’ve messed up) and then it isn’t. It’s hard to explain, but just be patient, it will thicken up.
Chill the pastry cream in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight until set.
Making the shortcrust pastry
This pastry recipe comes from The Spruce Eats and it is a classic shortcrust pastry recipe.
When making pastry, you want to make sure to keep your butter and water as cold as possible, so you’ll need to work quickly.
Combine the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Combine the butter and flour by rubbing them together with your fingertips until the dough looks like breadcrumbs (or the size of peas). Then add the cold water and bring the dough together into a ball. If the dough is too shaggy, add one additional tablespoon of water at a time. You don’t want to dough to be sticky. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
When the dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. I use a 9 1/2 inch tart pan so I will make sure to roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Make sure it’s bigger than your baking dish. You want the pastry to be thin (about 1/8 inch thick). Press the dough into the corners of the tin and make sure it goes all the way up the sides. Use your rolling pin to trim off any excess pastry (just roll it across the top).
Fill the pastry shell with pie weights (or rice, beans, etc.) to keep it from puffing up in the oven. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes until light golden brown.
Note: You can also make tartlets with these. If you want individual tartlets, use either a mini tart pan, some small ramekins, or even just a cupcake tin. Be sure to cut out circles of pastry that are larger than the tin you are using otherwise your tarts will be shallow.
Assembly
Now that the elements are made it’s time to assemble your fresh fruit tart. Pour the custard into the shell and top with fresh berries. I like to use blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. You can also add a layer of homemade whipped cream before decorating with berries (totally optional as this isn’t traditional, but it does taste really good).
The tart will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge max. Surprisingly the pastry does not get soggy so if you want to assemble this the night before you serve it you can.
This easy fruit tart recipe makes a great dessert to bring to a summer picnic or Fourth of July barbeque. Who doesn’t love a custard tart with fruit? Plus, the berries make it very patriotic.
Happy baking!
If you’re looking for more summer recipes, check out these Lemon Shortbread Cookies or this Chocolate Trifle with Raspberries.
Berry Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
- 2-3 tbsp very cold water
For the pastry cream / custard
- 2 cups almond milk
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
For the toppings
- blueberries
- raspberries
- strawberries
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (optional)
Instructions
For the pastry
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and butter.
- Using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter), rub the butter and flour together until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add the very cold water and use a cold knife to combine. If the dough is too dry, add an additional 1 tbsp of cold water at a time.
- Shape the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes before using.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick and larger than your tart pan.
- Line the tart pan with the dough, making sure it is flush against the bottom and sides.
- Trim the excess dough by taking your rolling pin along the top of the tin.
- Use a fork and poke the bottom of the pastry dough repeatedly.
- Fill the pastry shell with pie weights (or rice or beans) to prevent the dough from rising while it bakes.
- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the pastry shell is a light golden brown.
For the pastry cream / custard
- Heat the almond milk on the stove until almost boiled, stirring frequently.
- In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, egg, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.
- Once the milk is heated, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking continually. By adding it slowly, you are slowly heating the eggs and preventing them from scrambling.
- Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until custard is thick and starts to bubble (about 10-15 minutes), stirring constantly.
- Once thickened, add the butter and stir until butter is melted into the custard.
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool on the counter for about 15 minutes before placing it into the fridge. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Assembly
- Once the pastry shell is completely cooled, fill will the pastry cream / vanilla custard.
- Top with fresh berries. Arrange them however you'd like!
- Optional: Add a layer of homemade whipped cream before adding the fruit.
