Fruit tart

I made this tart a while ago when I was just starting with this whole baking thing. It is quite simple to make, the most difficult thing when making this tart is the making of the pastry. When rolling the pastry it is important to keep turning the pastry and to have a well floured surface so that the pastry doesn't stick. When the pastry is rolled out to the desired thickness roll the pastry on the rolling pin and roll it over the tart tin(s). 
You can always use store bought pastry if you don't have the time to make your own. The flavor of home made pastry is so much better than the store bought version that you should really give it a try. Even if the pastry falls apart or cracks you can just patch the holes and it will still be delicious.
The best thing about this tart is that you can use any fruit you like and that is available to you. I made this tart in the summer, that's why I used seasonal fruit like blueberries and raspberries. If I was making it now, I would use fruits like banana, mandarin, pear, grapes or figs. I like to mix sweet fruit with a little more acidic fruit (banana-mandarin) so that the tart has a more refreshing flavor. The pastry is a basic sweet pastry crust which is filled with a vanilla pastry cream and then topped with the fresh fruit.  

Fruit tart

(Makes 1 large(20cm) or 12 small tarts)

Time:

Preparation: 1 hour

Baking/Cooking: 45min

Cooling: 25min

For the pastry:

• 195g plain flour
• 113g room temperature butter
• 50g granulated white sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• a pinch of salt

For the pastry cream:

• 300ml full-fat milk 
• 1 vanilla bean 
• 3 egg yolks
• 60g caster (superfine) sugar
• 20g plain white flour
• 20g corn starch
• 50g butter

For the topping:

• 700ml of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, mandarin, kiwi, figs,...)

Making the pastry:

Put the flour and salt in a bowl and lightly whisk, set aside. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) and beat until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic foil, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Lightly butter and flour the tart shell(s). Roll the pastry into the desired shape and size and gently place it in the tart shell. If you don't want to roll out pastry, you can just evenly pat it down to the bottom and sides of the tart shell. Lightly prick the bottom of the pastry crust with a fork, to prevent the dough from puffing up when it bakes. Cover with plastic foil and put it in the fridge for another 15 minutes. meanwhile preheat the oven to 205°C (400°F) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Bake the pastry case blind (put pie weights or rice on the parchment paper in the tart shell before baking to prevent the pastry from shrinking and puffing up) for around 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Making the pastry cream:
Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and put them in the milk. Heat the milk and vanilla seeds in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling. Meanwhile whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl. Sift flour and cornstarch in the bowl with the egg yolks and sugar. Mix until combined. When the milk is hot enough pour it over the egg mixture and whisk constantly so that the egg yolks do not curdle. When all the milk is added pour the mixture back in the saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Boil the mixture for 1 minute or until the mixture is thick and glossy. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and leave to cool to 50°C (122°F) or until you can just place the hand on the bowl and not get burned. Add the butter and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic foil and press it to the surface of the pastry cream to prevent the skin from forming. If your tart shells are ready and cooled when the pastry cream is done you can pour it in the shells as soon as the butter is whisked in the cream.

Assembly:
Pour the pastry cream in the prepared tart shells up to the edge of the pastry, leaving room for the fruit topping. Add the fruit randomly on the cream or in concentric overlapping circles starting from the outside edge. If not eaten immediately cover and refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving.