Weekend Brunch | Mixed Berries Tarts

When we walk into a bakery, fruit tarts are always the first things that catch my eyes. The fruits are glistening like oversized jewels, nestled on a layer of luxurious pastry cream, encased in a buttery and flaky crust. No one could ever resist it!

We love to share you this delicate classic dessert of all time – Mixed Berries Tart. 

For the pastry, you will need 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp of salt and 1 stick of cold unsalted butter. For the vanilla pastry cream, you will need 3 tbs of granulated sugar, 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour, 1 tbs of cornstarch, 3 egg yolks, 2/3 cup of milk and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. For the topping, you will need 4 cups of mixed berries, mint and powdered sugar for dusting.

To make the pastry: in the bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt and mix it well. Add the butter and crumble it well will your finger tip. Shape into a dough, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: In the bowl, beat the granulated sugar, flour, locus flour and egg yolks till pale yellow. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and vanilla and bring to a simmer. While stirring, pour half the boiled milk into the sugar mixture until combined. Then pour this mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Be sure to scrape the sides and corners of the pan while whisking to prevent scorching. Pour the pastry cream into a pastry bag. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1cm thickness. Transfer to four 5-inch tart dish and trim the edges for a smooth rim.  Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, rice or beans and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 260ºC. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Bake until the crust is golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool!

To serve, spoon the pastry cream into the crust, arrange the berries and mints on top and dust with powder sugar.

*Tips: Homemade tart crust looks complicated and time-consuming to prepare, thus you can either buy the pre-made pastries from your nearest mall or mix ground graham cracker crumb with melted butter for the crust. Remember to preheat the oven for 30 minutes before baking your tarts.

You could also use the leftover berries with our Smurfy Lemonade recipe too. It will be the best combination for having both of it at the same time. May the odds be ever in your favor.