Summer Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Tart shell

1. 1
   Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Transfer to a food processor, add the cold butter in cubes and process until coarse crumbs form.

   Food processor
3. 3
   Add the egg and cold water and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just until the dough comes together.

   💡Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
4. 4
   Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡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.
5. 5
   Roll out the dough and line a 24 cm Tart pan with it, sides included. Prick the bottom with a fork.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pin

   💡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.
6. 6
   Top with parchment paper and weights (or dried beans) and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) for 15 minutes.

   Parchment paperOvenTart / pie pan

   💡The weights keep the dough from puffing up and shrinking from the sides: without them the bottom bubbles and the shell comes out lopsided.
7. 7
   Remove the weights and bake another 10 minutes, until the shell is golden.

   OvenTart / pie pan

For the Cream Filling

1. 8
   Heat the milk to just below a boil.

   StovePot
2. 9
   In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and starch.

   BowlWhisk
3. 10
   Pour the hot milk in a thin stream into the mixture, whisking constantly.

   ⚙ Tempering eggsWhisk

   💡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.
4. 11
   Return to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and bubbles in the center, then cook 1–2 more minutes.

   StovePot

   💡Stir nonstop until it bubbles: only then does the starch thicken fully, and the cream won't turn runny later.
5. 12
   Add the vanilla and stir.
6. 13
   Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and let cool.

   BowlPlastic wrap

To assemble

1. 14
   Fill the cooled shell with the cream.

   💡Fill only a completely cooled shell: cream on a warm shell makes it soggy and it loses its crispness.
2. 15
   Arrange the strawberries, kiwi and mixed berries on top.
3. 16
   Brush the fruit with the clear glaze, for shine.

   Pastry brush
4. 17
   Chill one hour before serving.