FRUIT TART
I can’t express to you enough how much I…LOVE…a fruit tart. Especially one that has a mascarpone cream filling and macerated fruits. They always come out looking so so cute with minimal effort.
FRUIT TART RECIPE makes 1 standard tart tin
INGREDIENTS
SHORT BREAD CRUST
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 lemon for zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
MASCARPONE FILLING
8 oz mascarpone cheese room temp
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or paste or 1 scraped vanilla bean pod
whipped cream home made or canned optional
MACERATED BERRIES
berries of choice
2 tsp white sugar
1/2 lemon for juice
DIRECTIONS
Begin by making the crust. In a bowl combine all the crust ingredients and mix just until it comes together. Pour into a greased tart tin and press into the bottom and up the sides using your fingers. Set the crust aside in the fridge to cool for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 375F. After the crust has cooled, prick the crust evenly all over with a fork. You can add parchment paper over top and put pie weights if you want to ensure no shrinkage or puffing, I don’t always do this but it helps. Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until it’s changed in color and no longer doughy. Set aside to cool.
While the crust cools start macerating the fruits. I do this by slicing any large fruits I’m using like strawberries or figs and sprinkling white sugar and a squeeze of lemon over everything. Mix together gently and let it sit in a bowl. The sugars and acid will draw out the fruits natural juices and flavors. This can take 10-15 minutes.
Make the filling. Bringing the mascarpone to room temperature will help greatly with the texture. If yours is very cold, I’ve had luck zapping it in the microwave 1-3 times on low heat for 15 second intervals and mixing between each session. Start beating the mascarpone with your mixer on medium speed and slowly introduce the heavy cream in a slow but steady drizzle.
Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and whip into your desired consistency. Take care not to over whip the mascarpone as it can curdle and change texture. Adding more or less powder sugar will change its stiffness as well. More sugar = more stiffness.
Once the crust is cold you can start assembling. Fill the inside of the tart with the mascarpone cream mixture and spread evenly. Next, place your fruits over top and press them into the cream. I like to also add vanilla whipped cream to my tarts for extra pizzaz.
It’s best to let this set for a few hours or overnight in the fridge so you can make nice defined slices to serve but I won’t blame you if you eat it right away.
