Perfect Little Italian Fruit Tarts

You know when you’re standing in a bakery and you see those pretty little fruit tarts? The ones filled with pastry cream? And then you can’t decide whether to get the one with strawberries or blueberries and end up getting both and then eating them? Yeah same, me too.

From the almost cookie-like pastry shell, to the luscious pastry cream, to the juicy berries on the top, these little tarts are perfection!

Why Italian fruit tarts and not French or just regular fruit tarts? What makes these specifically Italian? First, I modelled these after the little pasticcini con crema you would find in an Italian pasticceria. Second (and heavily related to the first point), my Italian boyfriend asked me to recreate his favourite childhood pastry. Third (and this is probably the only real reason), the addition of lemon zest to the pastry cream is uniquely Italian.

I recommend making the pastry cream (crema pasticcera, in Italian) a day ahead, simply because it needs to chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set completely. You can also make the pastry the day before; you can keep the dough wrapped tightly in the fridge, or you can keep the baked shells in an airtight container on the counter. Then, you can do the final assembly whenever you’re ready for a pasticcino. Finished pasticcini can keep for 2 hours; after that the pastry shell starts to get soggy.

Now, don’t be afraid of making crema pasticcera and the whole business with the egg yolks and the tempering. Go forth in confidence, and everything will be just fine. Just remember to temper your yolks before pouring them back into the saucepan, and all will be well.

It’s important for the cream to be almost boiling in the saucepan (like, bubbles forming and popping, but not quite a rolling boil) or it won’t thicken correctly. I admit, when I first made the pastry cream, I didn’t pay enough attention (!) to that specific step. I ended up with a cream that was too runny, and I had to reheat it in a double boiler. Thankfully, this fate need not be yours if you (unlike me) pay attention to that step!

Italian Fruit Tarts

The Kitchen in 6L

A luscious pastry cream, enveloped by an almost cookie-like shell, and topped with fresh berries make these little pasticcini absolutely to die for

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Teatime

Cuisine French, Italian

Servings 12

Calories 268 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the pastry cream:

• 500 milliliters whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Zest of half a lemon
• 6 large egg yolks
• 130 grams white sugar
• 40 grams corn starch

For the sweet shortcrust pastry:

• 250 grams all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 125 grams cold unsalted butter cubed
• 100 grams powdered sugar
• 1 large egg cold and slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon cold water

For the topping:

• Fresh berries and/or kiwi
• Simple syrup or warmed and loosened apricot jam (optional)

Instructions

 

Make the pastry cream:

• Put a bowl in the freezer (you’ll need this to cool down the cream).
• In a saucepan over low heat, combine the milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Heat until the milk is scalding hot.
• While the milk is heating, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and corn starch until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
• Temper the eggs by pouring a ladleful of the scalding milk into the egg mixture and whisking continuously. Add a couple more ladles of milk to the eggs until the mixture becomes pourable.
• Add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Stir continuously with a spatula until the cream thickens. Make sure to allow the cream to reach a temperature close to boiling (you should see a couple of bubbles forming around the edges) to ensure proper thickening.
• When the cream reaches an almost pudding-like consistency, transfer it to the bowl that’s been cooling in the freezer. Stir vigorously with a spatula until the cream becomes thick, shiny and uniform. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Make the sweet shortcrust pastry:

• Combine the flour with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Rub in the butter using your hands, a fork, or a pastry cutter until it has a sandy consistency. Mix in the powdered sugar, followed by the egg and about 1 tablespoon of cold water. Continue mixing until the dough starts to come together. Do not overmix.
• Shape into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Assemble the tarts:

• Grease a standard muffin tin (or use mini tart tins if you have them) and dust with some flour.
• Cut a piece of shortcrust pastry and roll it into a ball about the size of a walnut. Using a shot glass or cork, press the dough into the muffin pan and up the sides. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork, line with a piece of baking parchment, and fill with baking weights (e.g. dried beans or rice). Repeat for all 12 pastry shells, and place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Bake the pastry shells for 10-12 minutes, remove the weights, and continue baking them for another 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool slightly in the tins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To assembly the tarts, spoon the pastry cream into the shells and top with the fruit of your choice. If using, you can glaze the tops with simple syrup or apricot jam.

Notes

1. You can prepare the pastry cream a day ahead, since it needs to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
2. Consume the finished tarts within about 2 hours of finishing them, otherwise the pastry shell gets soggy.
3. Pastry cream can be kept with a piece of plastic wrap against the surface in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. It doesn’t keep well in the freezer because freezing will break down the corn starch and cause a runny consistency.
4. The sweet shortcrust pastry can be kept tightly wrapped in the fridge for about 1 week, or frozen for about 1 month.
5. If you want to get that bakery sheen on the fruit, brush some simple syrup or loosened apricot jam over the top of the tarts.