Berry Fruit Tart with Vanilla Custard

This fruit tart may seem like a labor of love, but the end result is worth the little extra time! This dense cookie like crust perfectly holds the layers of fresh, creamy vanilla bean custard and mounds of fresh berries you place on top. Make this as seasonal as you desire with whatever fruit you like, the custard and crust pair perfectly with all different toppings. We love it with summer berries, but it would be perfect with a smattering of pomegranates in the winter. 

  • Advanced
  • 90 mins
  • 10 servings
Ingredients

For the crust

  • ½ cup butter, softened 
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp whole milk 
  • 1 tsp Rodelle Vanilla Paste

For the custard

  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 5 tbsp corn starch
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar 
  • 5 cups milk
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large egg yolks 
  • 2 ½ tsp Rodelle Vanilla Paste
Uses
Occasions
Directions

Note: You should also read all of the tips prior to making your tart to ensure you are pleased with the results!

  1. Preheat an oven to 375 F to bake crust. Combine the butter and sugar on medium high speed in a mixer until light and fluffy. 
  2. Gradually add the flour then milk and vanilla paste, on low speed.
  3. Increase speed to medium once all ingredients are incorporated, until dough starts to gather in the mixing bowl.
  4. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to a 10 in circle, then carefully transfer dough to a 10” tart pan to finish forming the crust. 
  5. Once the crust is formed and a lip is evenly formed around the edge of the pan, pierce the center of the crust with a fork a few times to help prevent air pockets from forming while baking. 
  6. Place formed crust in the oven for 12-15 minutes and slightly golden brown.
  7. While crust bakes, prep dry ingredients for custard and combine, set egg yolks and vanilla aside in a separate bowl. 
  8. Place dry ingredients in a medium saucepan and add milk, whisking to combine before turning on heat.
  9. Continuously whisk milk and dry ingredients on medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and temper into egg and vanilla paste, whisking continuously.
  10. Once egg yolks are combined, return mixture to stove and heat once again to a boil before removing from heat, transfer to a separate container and cool in refrigerator until cool.
  11. While custard and crust cool, wash and cut berries to the desired size and shape for topping. 
  12. Remove crust from tart pan, top with your desired amount of custard and berries.

Tips

  • Make sure the crust cools fully before trying to transfer out of the tart pan to avoid cracking.
  • Tempering cooked milk into the egg yolks can be tricky, whisk vigorously and slowly add milk to avoid egg yolks cooking. We added about 1/4 cup slowly at a time, drizzling it into the egg yolks very slowly from a measuring cup with a long handle.
  • If you want a traditional custard tart appearance (where the custard cuts cleanly), we suggest using a small amount of custard (about 1/2) and ensuring that your tart firms up in the refrigerator overnight before slicing with a sharp knife. You could also experiment with additional cornstarch, or less milk. But, we did not test those as we prefer the traditional creaminess of this custard. It is very creamy and light - and the vanilla bean flecks really pop! Some of our testers prefer more custard and some prefer less, so play around with what you like! Leftover custard makes a great "almost pudding" snack!
  • If you would like to add a gloss to the top of your tart, mix apricot preserves with equal parts water and brush the top of your finished tart with a pastry brush for a glossy finish.

This recipe was created for Rodelle by Morgan Osborne, part of ADM's Culinary Team. Photos by Amanda at @frommetovuu.