Delicious, elegant and versatile, this easy to make dessert can be your go-to all summer long!

Summertime is upon us, which means, among other things, barbecue season! Hot summer days with food on the grill, fresh seasonal produce, and of course, good friends and family. This year, get-togethers seem extra sweet, so why not drop a dessert recipe on you deserving people? Gonna do it right now.

The core dessert consists of a pastry crust, pastry creme and fresh fruit topping. That is it. Mix up the topping and filling flavors as well as the crust; you could literally never make this the same way twice. The crust and filling can be made in advance and the whole thing assembled before serving (I recommend a short chill time of an hour or two once assembled). The first version, pictured above, consists of an Italian pastry dough, basic pastry creme with a little lemon zest, and a mango/strawberry/blueberry topping, no glaze, just fruit. Use the freshest fruit you can find and shop a few days in advance so that things can ripen if needed. But first, the dough.

The four stages of pastry dough - chopping fats into dry ingredients, the addition of moisture and in this case, an egg, shaping for a chill in the refrigerator, and the chilled dough, ready for rolling!

I am using an Italian sweet pastry dough called “pasta frolla”. It makes a crispy crust with just the right amount of sweetness. There are a ton of recipes for pasta frolla and they all have basically the same ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, egg and butter. Feel free, however, to add lemon or lime zest, poppy seeds, ground nuts, etc. - anything you think will blend with your filling and fruit. I used the recipe below and baked the remaining dough scraps on a small baking sheet for a lovely little shortbread cookie-like treat. Yum.

INGREDIENTS FOR PASTRY DOUGH:

2 cups “00” Italian flour (all purpose flour is fine)
1 stick (4 oz.) of butter, chilled and cubed
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 - 3 T. ice water (as needed)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, baking powder, and salt until the butter is evenly incorporated and the mixture looks coarse as in the photo, upper left. Add the sugar and egg, pulsing a few times more. If the dough is dry, I add a tablespoon or two of cold water, though not all recipes suggest this. I do it, it helps me with the rolling process.

Once mixed and NOT overworked, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to a day or so (you can also freeze this, yay!). Once the dough is together and chilling, it’s time to make the pastry creme. Today I am doing a lightly flavored lemon filling, but vanilla, lime, almond, etc. would all be lovely flavors to invite to the party.

Six simple ingredients come together to form a light and silky creme with a subtle lemon flavor. A perfect bed for some freshly-sliced and perfectly ripe summer fruits!

INGREDIENTS FOR PASTRY CREME:

2/3 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 TBSP. grated lemon zest
1/2 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
2 large peels of lemon zest

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest. Add the flour and a splash of the milk and stir until smooth, then set aside. Next, add the remaining milk to a small saucepan or double boiler with the lemon peel and simmer until steaming. Remove the lemon zest and slowly drizzle the steamed milk into the flour and egg mixture, mixing thoroughly so as to avoid lumps, then return to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the creme reaches the desired consistency. Pour the creme into a bowl, put a sheet of plastic wrap on the top surface to avoid forming a skin on the creme, and refrigerate until chilled.

This dry dough might be crumbly, but can easily be pressed into place. Bake any scraps left over and dust with confectioner’s sugar for a light little shortbread cookie bite!

By now the dough should be chilled and ready to roll! Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface, rolling in all directions until it is the proper size for your tart pan (I used a 9” circle). Get the dough in the pan using your rolling pin to assist, then trim the edges even with the pan, press the dough into the corners, prick with a fork and bake for 20 minutes or so at 350 degrees and allow to cool completely before filling. This can all be done the day before and assembled one hour or so prior to serving.

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

Take the cooled, cooked crust and the pastry creme and spread the creme evenly to fill the tart shell halfway (there may be creme left over). Begin to arrange the fruit in concentric circles, starting from the outside and slightly overlapping each layer. Feel free to finish the top with a light sprinkle of sugar, chopped pistachios or almonds, or better yet, some lime or lemon zest mixed up with granulated sugar for a tangy citrus sugar which renders some juices and keep things fresh! Here’s a few pictures of the second version of the tart, featuring mango, kiwi, strawberry, blueberry and blackberry, with a lime pastry creme and a lime sugar dusting. Delicious!! I hope you try this tart soon, it makes quite an impact when you set it down in front of your people and the flavor is all that! Thanks for following, hope you enjoy your summer gatherings just a little bit more this year.

Arrange the freshest and ripest fruit(s) you can find in a concentric circle — and/or just throw a bunch of blueberries all over it!! Finish with a sprinkle of citrus sugar and chill until serving. Delish!

Fruit Tart with Pastry Creme Two Ways