mini fruit tarts

there are days when i think that i am one of ina's (barefoot contessa) friends and she'd just call me during the day and ask me to come over because she's testing out recipes and she needs an unbiased opinion from a close friend. i can go on for hours fantasizing about this. i know it's sad, but what can you do, she's my cher.


by the way, ina showed me that making fruit tarts are not that hard, even though they look ridiculously time consuming when you look at them at your local grocery store. after i saw the episode where she made fruit tarts for jeffrey, i ran to the store and got myself a tart pan. they didn't have the 4 inch one that she used on the show but they had an 8 inch one which i settled for. months passed and i never got around making the tarts. i've made quiche on it a few times but not any kind of fruit tart which was the main reason i got that thing.

fast forward to last week, i finally got around to it. i was planning to use the tart pan, but then i thought, i don't want the whole thing to fall apart if i am not going to finish eating the tart, so i decided to use muffin pans to make mini ones. it was a more time consuming, but at least, everyone who wants to have piece will have their own little tart.

i was a little scared that the boyfriend might not eat it because he's not a fan of anything custardy, but surprisingly he ate most of it. i was happy because that meant i didn't have to finish all of the stuff i just cooked, which happens quite a lot. anyway, let me give you the recipe and go do it already. i'm telling you, it's worth it! also, if you haven't noticed, i have been silently adding stuff into my blog. i have added a recipe index, contact tab, and an on the go section where i post things i see when i am out and about. it also gives you a glimpse on my life and see how boring and busy it is. go check 'em out!

oh also before i forget, why don't you join the giveaway i'm doing in celebration of my blog anniversary last month. it's not yet too late. you still have august 7, 12 noon pst to join. click here to join! it's a magazine giveaway of your choice (from the list)!

mini fruit tarts
adapted from ina garten

crust
what you need:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 sticks (8oz) salted butter (you can use unsalted butter, just add 1/2 tsp of salt into the flour*) cut into 1/4 in cubes
1/4 cup cold water

what to do:
1. in a large bowl, whisk flour, salt* and sugar together.

2. using your pastry blender, fingers or food processor, cut butter into flour until it resembles a coarse meal.

3. add water and mix until it all comes together. this crust is not too delicate so you don't have to worry about being a little knead-happy. form a disc and refrigerate from 30 minutes. preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. roll out the dough and cut out 12 circles that would fit into muffin tins. don't stretch the dough too much or else it'll shrink when you bake it. poke bottoms of crust with a fork. line crust with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or rice to serve as pie weights. bake for 15-20 minute or until it's lightly browned. let it cool and fill it with pastry cream (recipe follows).

pastry cream
what you need:
5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp heavy cream

what to do:
1. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

2. with the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding.

3. Stir in the vanilla, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

assembly:
fill the crust with the pastry cream and top with your fruits. brush tops with apricot jelly diluted in water to make it shiny, there you go, pretty fruit tarts!

Miniature Fruit Tarts