Fruit Tarts with Cream (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Vanilla Cream Filling

01 - ½ cup white sugar
02 - 3 chilled egg yolks
03 - 1 cup whole milk
04 - 3 tablespoons corn starch
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
07 - 1 cup heavy cream (36% fat)

→ Tart Ingredients

08 - Around 2 cups mixed fresh fruits or berries (such as raspberries, mandarin slices, kiwi, or blueberries)
09 - 13-15 pre-made or homemade small tart shells
10 - 1 teaspoon water (to thin out apricot preserves)
11 - 2 tablespoons apricot jam

# Instructions:

01 - Grab a heatproof bowl and whip up the cold egg yolks and sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk. In about a minute, the yellow mixture will get creamy and pale – kind of like ribbons falling off the whisk. Blend in the corn starch until smooth and free of lumps.
02 - Combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan (a 2-quart one works fine). Heat gently over a medium burner while stirring every now and then to prevent sticking. Watch closely for small bubbles to appear along the sides – that’s how you know it’s ready to go. Don’t let it boil! Once bubbly, turn off the heat.
03 - Keep your mixer on low while you gradually add the warmed milk mixture. Pour in a thin stream into the egg mix and keep it steady. This method prevents cooked egg bits in your cream. Keep mixing until it's smooth and fully combined.
04 - Pour the mixture back into the same pan. Stir in vanilla bean paste now (use extract later if that’s your choice). Set the heat to medium-low and constantly whisk to avoid burning the bottom. In roughly 5 minutes, it’ll begin thickening. It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon like pudding. Test by drawing a finger line through it; the line should stay put.
05 - Take it off the stove immediately once thickened. Run it through a fine sieve into a clean bowl so it’s velvety smooth. Toss in the cold butter chunks – stir until they melt into the cream. Add your vanilla extract now if you skipped the paste earlier. Butter cools it quickly and makes it glossy.
06 - Press some plastic wrap right against the cream’s surface to stop a skin from forming. Let it sit at room temperature until cool, then pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to 2 days. The texture will firm up as it chills.
07 - Follow baking directions for store-bought shells if you’re not making your own. Bake homemade tart dough until golden and crispy, then cool completely. Options include mini tart pans, a lined mini cupcake tin, or baking sugar cookie cups.
08 - Take the chilled pastry cream out of the fridge. Whip it a little with a hand mixer to make it fluffier and easier to spread or pipe. Use a star tip piping bag, or just a spoon, to scoop about three-quarters full into each tart shell.
09 - Top the cream with any combination of thinly sliced fruit or whole berries. Aim for fun designs or mix up textures and colors with kiwi slices, mandarin wedges, strawberry halves, blueberries, or raspberries. Arrange however you'd like – neat patterns or a casual heap work great.
10 - In a microwavable bowl, mix apricot jam with the water and heat for about 20 seconds until it’s nice and runny. Stir well. Gently brush the glaze over the fruit using a pastry brush. That shine makes it pop, keeps the fruit fresh, and adds a touch of sweetness. Refrigerate the tarts for an hour before serving so the glaze sets completely.

# Notes:

01 - You can make pastry cream up to two days ahead and keep it in the fridge.
02 - Vanilla bean paste adds little specks to the cream, giving it a fancy touch.
03 - For special events, match the fruit colors to the occasion’s theme.
04 - Eat the assembled mini tarts within 24 hours, but prep the parts days earlier.

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