How long does it take to make Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream?

Pastry cream: ½ liter milk, 4 egg yolks, ½ cup sugar and 5 tablespoons cornstarch, cooked to a boil and thickened about 1 minute, then cooled covered with plastic wrap.

2 hrTotal

12 minActive time

1 hr 48 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl	1 min
2	Add the cold butter in cubes and rub it in with your fingertips	1 min
3	Add the egg and cold water and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just	1 min
4	Whip the soft butter with the sugar	—
5	Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes	30 min
6	Roll out the dough and line a 24 cm Tart pan with it, sides included. Prick the bottom with a fork	—
7	Top with parchment paper and weights (or dried beans) and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) for 15 minutes	15 min
8	Heat the milk to just below a boil	5 min
9	In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and starch	1 min
10	Pour the hot milk in a thin stream into the mixture, whisking constantly	1 min
11	Return to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly	2 min
12	Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and let cool	1 min
13	Fill the cooled shell with the cream	1 min
14	Arrange the strawberries and kiwi on top	1 min
15	Brush the fruit with the clear glaze, for shine	—
16	Chill one hour before serving	1 hr

How to Tell It's Done

until coarse crumbs form
until the dough comes together
until pale and fluffy
until the cream thickens and bubbles in the center, then cook 1–2 more minutes

Tips

The butter must stay cold: butter that melts in your hands gives a hard dough instead of a crumbly one. Work quickly, and if the dough warms up, put it back in the fridge.
Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
The weights keep the dough from puffing up and shrinking from the sides: without them the bottom bubbles and the shell comes out lopsided.

Common Mistakes

The hot liquid goes into the eggs slowly while whisking, and only about a third of it in the first batch: that way they warm gradually and don't turn into scrambled eggs.

More Ways

Bake the shell at 180°C (355°F) 15–20 minutes, until fully baked, before filling.
Brush the fruit with 2 tablespoons apricot jam thinned with 2 tablespoons hot water, for shine.

The full recipe: Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream →