Vanilla Custard Fruit Tartlets
Custard Fruit Tartlets
Mini tart shells filled with silky vanilla custard and topped with fresh fruit for a polished, bite-size dessert.
Vanilla custard fruit tartlets bring together three simple pastry elements: crisp tart shells, a smooth vanilla custard, and fresh fruit arranged just before serving. The result looks bakery-ready, but each part can be handled with ordinary kitchen tools.
The shells are made from a buttery dough that is pressed into mini tart pans, chilled, and baked until lightly golden. Pricking the bottoms and weighting the dough during the first bake helps the shells stay flat enough to hold a generous spoonful of custard.
The custard is a classic stovetop pastry cream thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch. Whisking constantly as the hot milk goes into the yolks keeps the texture smooth, while a final bit of butter gives the filling a glossy, spoonable finish.
Assemble the tartlets close to serving time so the shells stay crisp and the fruit looks fresh. A thin brush of warm apricot jam gives the berries and kiwi a gentle shine without making the tartlets overly sweet.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks sandy with a few pea-size pieces remaining.
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2
Stir in the dough egg yolk and ice water just until the dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk, wrap, and chill for 25 minutes.
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3
Heat the oven to 375°F. Divide the dough among 12 mini tart pans or muffin cups, pressing it evenly across the bottoms and up the sides.
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4
Prick the shells with a fork, line with small pieces of parchment, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the weights and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until lightly golden. Cool completely.
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5
Warm the milk in a saucepan until steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, custard egg yolks, and cornstarch until smooth and pale.
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6
Slowly whisk half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, then pour everything back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and bubbles gently, 3 to 5 minutes.
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7
Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and custard butter until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
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8
Spoon or pipe the chilled custard into the cooled tart shells. Top each tartlet with strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi.
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9
Warm the apricot jam until loose, then brush a thin layer over the fruit. Serve soon after assembling, or chill for up to 2 hours.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour:1 1/2 cups
- Powdered Sugar:1/3 cup
- Fine Sea Salt:1/4 teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed:8 tablespoons
- Egg Yolk, for dough:1 large
- Ice Water:2 tablespoons
- Whole Milk:1 1/2 cups
- Granulated Sugar:1/3 cup
- Egg Yolks, for custard:3 large
- Cornstarch:3 tablespoons
- Vanilla Extract:2 teaspoons
- Unsalted Butter, for custard:2 tablespoons
- Fresh Strawberries, sliced:1 cup
- Fresh Blueberries:3/4 cup
- Kiwi, peeled and thinly sliced:2 medium
- Apricot Jam:2 tablespoons
Tips & Notes
- If using a muffin pan instead of tartlet pans, cut narrow parchment strips to help lift the cooled shells out cleanly.
- The tart shells and custard can be made one day ahead; keep the shells airtight and the custard refrigerated.
- Pat sliced fruit dry before arranging it so the custard stays neat and the glaze clings well.
