These French Mini Fruit Tarts filled with Pastry Cream are the perfect bite-sized dessert for a party or afternoon tea. The homemade buttery and crunchy tartlet shells are filled with a delicious vanilla cream and topped with fresh fruits.
Place the sifted Flour, Icing Sugar and Salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix, then add the very cold Butter cut into small cubes. Mix until you get fine crumbs of butter (see note 1).
Add the Egg and mix until a rough dough starts to come together (see note 2).
Place the pastry over a large sheet of baking paper and bring together into a ball. Cover with a second sheet of baking / parchment paper then roll to a thickness of about 4 mm (1/8 inch). Put in the fridge to rest and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Remove the baking paper and cut out disks of pastry that are a bit larger than the tartlet pans you are using (see note 3). Line the tartlet pans with the pastry, pressing gently on the sides to slide it down (see note 4) and cut off any excess. Dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Leftover pastry can be re-rolled, chilled and used to make more tartlets.
Place the tartlets shells back in the fridge to chill for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours then preheat your oven on 160'c/325'f. Place the shells in the freezer while the oven is preheating.
Cover each crust with a little bit of baking paper then fill with baking weights, dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the weights and baking paper and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Leave to cool down completely.
Pastry Cream Filling
Place the Milk in a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half, scrap the seeds then place both the seeds and the bean in the milk. Turn on low heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover the sasucepan with a lid and leave to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes (see note 5).
In a seperate heat-proof bowl, whisk the Egg Yolks and Sugar until foamy. Add the Cornstarch (preferably sifted) and whisk until incorporated and smooth.
Carefully pour the warm milk over the Yolk/Sugar while continuously whisking (see note 6). When all smooth, transfer the whole preparation back in the saucepan and turn on low heat.
Keep whisking on low heat until the cream starts to thicken - about 5 minutes (see note 7). Transfer into a clean bowl or large shallow pan and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Place in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour.
Assembling the tarts
Wash and prepare the fresh fruits: cut the Strawberries and Blackberries in half, and the Plum and Kiwi Fruit into thin slices.
Place the chilled Pastry Cream in a pastry bag and cut off the tip (see note 8). Pipe the cream inside the tartlet shells, about halfway up. Gently tap the shells on a hard surface to spread out the cream.
Place the fresh fruits over the cream, pressing them in slightly so secure them. Finish with some fresh mint. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve - preferably as soon as possible.
Optionally, brush a neutral glaze or fruit glaze over the fruits.
Video
Notes
If you do not have a food processor, you can find the instructions to make the Tartlet Pastry dough by hands in my Pâte Sablée recipe.Both the shells and pastry cream can be prepared in advance - see Storing & Freezing section above.
The larger the crumbs, the flakier the pastry will be. In this case, we do not want too much flakiness so make sure the crumbs are very small.
Don't worry if it seems crumbly, it will come together when you roll it. To know the pastry has been mixed enough, press together some of the crumbs in your hand. If they stick together and turn into a smooth dough, it is ready. If after mixing the dough still does not seem to be coming together, you might have to add a little bit of cold water (one tablespoon at the time). It could happen if the egg you used was too small.
I used these Mini Tart Pans that are 7 cm (1/4 inch) wide and cut out the disks of pastry to be about 10 to 12 cm (3/8 to 1/2 inch) wide.
Optionally, use a stiff straw (or similar utensil) to press on each fluted edge in order to define their shape more. If the pastry dough seems a bit stiff, let it come back to room temperature first. The butter will soften and it will be easier to line the tins. If the pastry become too soft and starts to break, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes.
If using Vanilla Paste, you do not need to let it infuse in the milk.
This is to temper all the ingredients and make sure the eggs don't burn or curd once placed on the stove.
Always work with low heat to avoid burning the cream and/or overcooking the eggs. It will take longer to thicken, but it is the best way to get the perfect creamy texture without any lumps.
You could also just scoop the cream into the shells or use a spoon if preferred.