With 3 million page views and counting, this French Fruit Tart recipe is one of our most popular dessert recipes and tastes exactly like the fruit tarts we enjoyed in Paris, France! Fresh, colorful, and bursting with juicy fruit, rich pastry cream, a deliciously sweet pastry crust, and an easy fruit tart glaze, this French Fruit Tart recipe makes a showstopper dessert that is perfect for any occasion!

If you love this French fruit tart recipe as much as we do, be sure try out our Fruit Pizza, Classic Pavlova, Raspberry Chocolate Tart!

A fresh and colorful French fruit tart on a white cake stand.


Table of Contents
  1. How to Make an Authentic French Fruit Tart
  2. What You'll Need
  3. What is Pâte Sucrée (also known as a Sweet Pastry Crust or Shortcrust Pastry Dough)?
  4. How to Make a Tart Crust
  5. What is Pastry Cream?
  6. How to Make Pastry Cream
  7. Fruit Tart Glaze
  8. Assembly
  9. How to Store
  10. Can this recipe be frozen?
  11. FAQ's
  12. More Tart Recipes
  13. French Fruit Tart Recipe

If you have ever been to Paris, chances are those stunning jewel-colored fruit tarts and French pastries displayed in the windows of every patisserie (aka French pastry shops) caught your eye.

As much as I love chocolate croissants, baguettes, macarons, and crepes, of all the foods I tried in France, it was their fruit tarts that were my favorite over anything else. A classic fruit tart is the thing I've missed most back home.

French fruit tarts are a wonderful dessert idea for entertaining, especially with during berry season when fresh berries and other fruit are at their best!

How to Make an Authentic French Fruit Tart

A tart is a sweet or savory dish made from pastry dough with a firm, crumbly crust. Tarts are typically baked in a pan with shallow sides and a removable bottom since they only have a bottom crust, and are unmolded before serving. There are 4 components to most classic French fruit tart recipes:

An image of a slice of mixed fruit tart made with pastry cream and a pate sucree sweet pastry crust.
An image of a classic French fruit tart with strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, blueberries and raspberries arranged on top.

You can use almost any fruit you like to create a French fruit tart! 

In Paris, you will see strawberry tarts with whole strawberries standing on end, raspberry tarts with piles of delicious red or golden raspberries, or mixed fruit tarts like this one that I made with strawberries, blueberries, sliced kiwi fruit, mandarin oranges, and raspberries arranged in a decorative pattern over the vanilla pastry cream. 

But blackberries, peaches, cherries, or almost any other fruit you can think of would be delicious with a sweet, shortcrust tart crust and creamy, silky pastry cream.

Don't assemble your French fruit tart too early before serving as the pastry crumb will start to soak into the crust over time. I think it's best when the tart is eaten within 1 to 2 hours of filling the tart shell.

There is a work-around I saw where you can melt a little chocolate and spread that in the bottom of your baked tart shell, then let it set to create a barrier between the crust and the filling to keep it from getting soggy, but your best bet is waiting to assemble just before serving.

Since all of the components of the fruit tart can be made in advance, assembly is actually pretty quick and easy. It's a great make-ahead dessert idea that is especially fun for entertaining because of how impressive and beautiful they look!

What You'll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

  • Whole milk
  • Heavy cream
  • Sugar - Granulated sugar is used to make the pastry cream while powdered sugar goes into the tart crust.
  • Cornstarch
  • Egg yolks - Only the yolks are needed for this dessert recipe. Save the whites for a pavlova, a meringue, macarons, or another use.
  • Salt
  • Butter - I use salted butter in all my bakes but you can use unsalted butter and just add an extra pinch of salt instead.
  • Vanilla - I love using vanilla bean paste for the little specks it gives to the pastry cream but regular vanilla extract will work just as well.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Fresh fruit - You can stick with one type of fruit and make a strawberry tart or raspberry tart, or take the approach I like best here with a variety of different colors and flavors of fruit. Seasonal fruits like cherries, apricots, or peaches can also be good options.
  • Jelly or jam - Something light in color like apricot jam or apple jelly works best for a glaze.

What is Pâte Sucrée (also known as a Sweet Pastry Crust or Shortcrust Pastry Dough)?

The tart crust recipe I use for my French fruit tart is called pâte sucrée in France. But don't let the fancy name throw you!

Pâte sucrée is just a sweet pastry crust that is actually easier to make than pie dough. This buttery, sweet tart crust is actually more of a firm, crumbly shell with an almost cookie-like texture, as opposed to pie crust which is known for being flaky and light. 

My sweet tart dough recipe calls for powdered sugar rather than granulated sugar, which gives it the unique, melt-in-your-mouth yet sturdy texture that really sets it apart and makes it the perfect vessel for holding the delicious vanilla pastry cream and loads of fresh fruit that we are going to fill it with.

An image of a blind-baked pate sucree sweet pastry crust tart shell for a fresh fruit tart.

How to Make a Tart Crust

Combine the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl and whisk together with a fork.

Using a food processor, cut the butter into the flour, powdered sugar, and salt until it resembles coarse crumbs. This can also be done by hand using a pastry cutter.

An image of cubed butter in the bowl of a food processor with flour and sugar for a sweet pastry crust for a French tart.

Slowly pour the liquids into the flour mixture while the food processor is running and let it process until it begins to come together.

Remove the tart dough and flatten it into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour in the fridge.

When the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly-floured surface into a circle slightly larger than your tart pan. Mine is a 9-inch pan but readers have reported that they have enough tart dough to fit a 10-inch pan.

An image of a woman rolling out a sweet pastry crust for a French fruit tart.

Gently lift the tart shell over your tart pan. I find it easiest to roll the tart dough onto my rolling pin (affiliate link) and using that to help lift it into place to avoid tears.

Lifting a French tart pastry crust onto a tart pan.
Rolling tart dough into a large tart pan.

Press the crust into the corners and fluted sides, then run a rolling pin over the top to cut off any excess dough.

An image of hands pressing a sweet tart crust into a tart pan for a dessert tart.

Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes, then press a double layer of foil into the tart shell and fill with pie weights. Do not prick the shell with a fork like you might for a pie crust! Here is a helpful resource with step-by-step pictures about how to blind bake a tart crust using pie weights.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees before removing the pie weights and foil and baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown, then remove from the oven and cool completely.

What is Pastry Cream?

Pastry cream (also known as crème pâtissière) is a thick, creamy custard with a silky smooth texture that can be used for filling cakes, tarts, cream puffs, eclairs, and other desserts. I use it so often and in so many ways that I actually ended up doing another post entirely dedicated to how to make vanilla pastry cream!

It was actually the component of this dessert that I felt most intimidated by having attempted a few different pastry cream varieties in the past that were either too thick, too gummy, or just plain too bland. 

That's the tricky part about pastry cream - it needs to be tasty on it's own, but it also needs to be a team player in this dessert so as not to override the brightness of the fresh fruit or sweet, buttery crust.

A bowl of rich vanilla bean custard for filling tarts, cream puffs, eclairs, cakes, and pies, known as French pastry cream.

Pastry cream is made with milk, cream, sugar, salt, cornstarch, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla for flavoring (although you could use different extracts to change it up in other desserts). 

I actually use Nielsen-Massey's vanilla bean paste instead of plain vanilla because I love the flecks of vanilla bean in the pastry cream, although the same thing can be achieved by using actually vanilla beans and infusing them with the milk and cream at the start of the cooking process, then scraping out the seeds. But you can just use regular vanilla extract if that's what you have on hand.

How to Make Pastry Cream

Bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan with half of the sugar. It doesn't need to boil and it doesn't take long. Medium-high heat will do the trick in less than 5 minutes.

While the milk mixture heats, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl so that it is evenly combined. Then whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is light and creamy.

Egg yolks and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.
A whisk in a glass bowl filled with whisked egg yolks and sugar.

When the milk is hot, temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring half of the hot liquid in to the yolks, whisking constantly. This will keep the egg yolks from scrambling when added to the pan.

Adding hot milk to egg yolks in a glass bowl.
Tempering egg yolks and sugar by pouring hot milk into the whisked egg mixture while whisking so the yolks don't scramble.

Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining liquid, reduce the heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the pastry cream is thick and a few bubbles start to pop on the surface, then remove from the heat.

Stir in some cold butter and vanilla bean paste (or an equal amount of vanilla extract). And that's it!

Transfer to a shallow pan or a bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream so a skin doesn't form while it cools. Then cool completely in a fridge for 3 hours before using.

Pastry cream is whisked and cooked on the stove just until thickened.

Fruit Tart Glaze

This step is so easy, but a fruit tart glaze was missing from many of the fruit tart recipes I looked at when researching how to make this lovely French dessert. 

I knew from my time in Paris that the tarts there absolutely glisten in the patisserie shop windows, so I had be sure my recreation of a French fruit tart had the same jewel-like quality.

And really, all that is used to glaze a fruit tart is a warmed up, light colored jelly or apricot jam that gets gently brushed on to make the fruit shine. Although I also like the extra little bit of flavor it adds as well.

Apple jelly or apricot preserves are my favorite options for a fruit tart glaze, although I've seen other sources call for red currant jelly. 

You won't use the full amount called for in the recipe, but I find it's easiest to heat up half a cup of the preserves or jelly just until warm and stirring until it is smooth. Then just dip a pastry brush into the apricot glaze and dab it on the fruit decorating your tart.

Assembly

When you are ready to assemble your tart, wash and dry your fruit, cutting any large fruit into bite-size pieces. Spread the cooled pastry cream into the bottom of your tart shell, then top with fruit in a pleasing design arranging kiwi slices so they are overlapping or filling in gaps with smaller fruits like blueberries or blackberries that have been cut in half. Brush with the glaze and serve!

An image of a tart made with mixed fruit in concentric circles, made with a French fruit tart recipe.

How to Store

A fruit tart is best enjoyed the day it is assembled although it's still good the next day as well, even if the crust has softened slightly. To store leftovers, cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. It can be eaten for up to 3-4 days but is best when it's freshest.

Can this recipe be frozen?

You can bake and freeze the tart shell for up to 1 month. Wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag until ready to use.

I don't recommend freezing the pastry cream or freezing the assembled tart because they don't thaw well.

FAQ's

How do I prevent the tart crust from getting soggy?

If I am making this ahead I like to melt a small amount of chocolate and spread it on the bottom of the baked crust before filling with pastry cream. This helps prevent the crust from getting soggy or soft as quickly.

How far can I make this in advance?

If you want to make it in advance, I recommend making the crust up to 3 or 4 days ahead and storing in an airtight container. The pastry cream can also be made 3 or 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Then everything can be assembled the day you plan to serve it.

An image of a fresh fruit tart on a white cake stand, with one slice cut and served on a white plate.

More Tart Recipes

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.

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A French fruit tart with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis, and mandarin oranges.
Print Pin Rate

French Fruit Tart

4.85 from 182 votes
Amy Nash
Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine European
Servings 12 servings
Fresh, colorful, and bursting with juicy fruit, rich pastry cream, a deliciously sweet pastry crust, and an easy fruit tart glaze, this French fruit tart recipe makes a showstopper dessert that is perfect for Spring & Summer!

Ingredients
  

Pastry Cream

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, divided (100g)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 Tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Pastry Crust

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (156g)
  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar (65g)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 Tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into chunks

Topping

  • 3 kiwis, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ⅜-inch thick
  • 10-12 strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
  • ½ cup mandarin oranges, drained
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • ¼ cup raspberries
  • ½ cup apple jelly or apricot preserves, warmed

Instructions
 

Pastry Cream

  • Combine the milk, cream, and half of the sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid comes to a simmer.
  • As the liquid heats, whisk together the remaining sugar, salt, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until light and creamy.  
  • Once the milk mixture is hot, slowly whisk about 1 cup of the liquid into the egg mixture to temper the yolks. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk mixture and , reduce the heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the pastry cream is thick and a few bubbles start to pop on the surface, then remove from the heat.
  • Remove the pastry cream from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, then transfer to a bowl and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly onto the surface of the pastry cream so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 3 hours.  

Tart Shell

  • Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.  
  • Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food process and briefly process to combine. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture and pulse to cut into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses.  
  • While the food process is running, add the liquid through the feed tube and continue to process just until the dough comes together around the blade.  
  • Turn out the tart dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 6-inch disk, then wrap it tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let sit out on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.  
  • Roll out the pastry crust on a lightly floured surface until it is slightly larger than your tart pan (mine is a 9-inch pan). Carefully transfer the dough to the pan by rolling it onto the rolling pin (affiliate link), then gently easing the dough into the pan, pressing into the corners and fluted sides of the pan.  
  • Run the rolling pin (affiliate link) over the top of the pan so that the excess dough gets cut off on the edge of the pin, making a clean edge. Patch any edges that are too thin with excess dough, trimming away the edge again as necessary.  Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes.  
  • When ready to bake the tart shell, heat oven to 375 degrees F. Press a double layer of foil into the frozen tart shell, covering the edges of the pan and filling the tart shell with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, then carefully remove the pie weights and foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the tart shell is fully baked and golden. Cool completely before filling. 

Tart Assembly

  • When the tart shell is completely cooled, spread the pastry cream over the bottom of the shell. Arrange the fruit in a decorative fashion over the cream, overlapping the sliced kiwi or mandarin oranges, and mounding raspberries or blueberries in the center of the tart.  
  • Melt the jelly or preserves in a small saucepan or the microwave, stirring until smooth. Use a pastry brush to gently dab the melted jelly over the fruit. You may not use all of the jelly. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

  • Make-Ahead: If I am making this ahead I like to melt a small amount of chocolate and spread it on the bottom of the baked crust before filling with pastry cream. This helps prevent the crust from getting soggy or soft as quickly. Or you can make the crust up to 3 or 4 days ahead and storing in an airtight container. The pastry cream can also be made 3 or 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Then everything can be assembled the day you plan to serve it.
  • Storing: A fruit tart is best enjoyed the day it is assembled although it's still good the next day as well, even if the crust has softened slightly. To store leftovers, cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. It can be eaten for up to 3-4 days but is best when it's freshest.
  • Freezing: You can bake and freeze the tart shell for up to 1 month. Wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag until ready to use.
  • Substitutions: You could also use 2 cups half-and-half in place of the whole milk and cream, or 1 ⅓ cup skim or low-fat milk with ⅔ cup heavy cream. 
  • Vanilla: If you do not have vanilla bean paste, you could just use regular vanilla extract instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 807IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @HouseOfNashEats or tag #houseofnasheats!

This post was originally published in April, 2018. The photos and content were updated in August, 2022.

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About the author

Hi, I'm Amy

I enjoy exploring the world through food, culture, and travel and sharing the adventure with mostly from-scratch, family friendly recipes that I think of as modern comfort cooking.

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Reader questions and reviews

  1. This was so much fun to create. It was my first attempt at a fruit tart. My custard did not set up at first, I was nervous to scorch it so I did not get it hot enough. I reheated it and it set up in no time. The finished product was so beautiful and it taste even better...I love to photograph my creations and post on social media. People were floored...
    Thank you for this recipe!!!

    Reply

  2. I'm not a super big pastry chef but I made this one day and it came out perfect! I've never had richer custard [btw was so glad to be able to make custard WITHOUT gelatin for once because I don't like the texture of custard with it]. This is surprisingly easy for someone with limited cooking experience to make, just be sure to dedicate a few hours of your time and be really attentive when you're doing it!

    Reply

  3. Ok so I’ve made this several times and didn’t change a think. I’ve commented before as well...

    My question now is this: I want to brush the crust with white chocolate...
    How do you recommend melting the choc, should I add anything to it ?

    Reply

    1. I always melt mine in the microwave in short 20 second bursts. With white chocolate, especially, it might not look like it is melting at first, but stirring it and kind of mash it anyway and it will melt. I talk a little more about melting white chocolate in this post and this post. I don't recommend adding anything to it like shortening, because I feel like it affects the texture in a way I don't like.

      Reply

  4. For people ending up with runny pastry cream, I think this recipe might be slightly confusing because of the mention of cooking it for "30 seconds". Based on my experience with pastry cream, what the recipe means is to cook the mixture over medium heat for a few minutes until it is very thick and bubbles break through, then keep cooking an additional 30 seconds before removing from the heat.

    At least that's what I generally do when cooking pastry cream, including this recipe. Turns out great!

    Reply

  5. This looks so scrumptious! I do want to know if I can substitute all purpose flour for cake flour? 

    Reply

    1. I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. I haven't tried cake flour but I think it would work fine here.

      Reply

  7. So I used this recipe for mini tarts for my sisters baby shower and they were perfect...but let me just say, this shortbread crust is the star of this recipe. I have made cookies out of it 3 times in the last 2 weeks half of the 'cookie' dipped in chocolate and they are divine. I'm letting dough chill right now actually because my daughter requested I make them for her class tomorrow to celebrate her 11th birthday!

    Reply

  8. I would suggest you revise the below instructions. My attempt to provide this as a dessert for a special meal with friends resulted in soup. I was unable to serve the dish and resorted to day old carrot cake that had already been cut. I had the bubbles!

    Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining liquid, reduce the heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the pastry cream is thick and a few bubbles start to pop on the surface, then remove from the heat.

    Reply

  9. Followed the recipe exactly and the results were spot on!  The cream set up perfectly.  I was a bit worried when I read the  comments. However, it was not necessary to be concerned at all. Thank you very much for the tips about the jelly topping over the fruit. It will add a very nice touch to my finished product. I’m sure everyone at church would love it.

    Reply

  12. Have not made this tart yet (tonight) just a thought for the people with runny custard. (Where do you live??)
    Something that has confused me cornstarch. In Australia we use corn flour. After research and found that the terms corn starch flour and meal can actually mean different things between the U.S. UK and oz. So just food for thought as they say...

    Reply

  13. Hi, I’m planning on making this for Xmas day! 
    Can I make both the pastry shell and the Creme pat a day in advance? 
    If I can, how do I store the shell? I’m assuming the creme pat is just stored in the fridge with the plastic film? Thank you! 

    Reply

    1. Yes, you can make both parts in advance! You are correct that you can just store the pastry cream in the fridge with plastic wrap on top. The shell can be wrapped in plastic wrap as well and kept on the counter at room temperature overnight though.

      Reply

  14. i tried this recipe and the cream didn’t get firm so it’s more like a soup... but the shell turned out great and the “soup” tastes very good

    Reply

    1. Bummer! Try cooking the pastry cream longer on the stovetop. It sounds like it just didn't cook long enough or that some of the cornstarch was left out possibly.

      Reply

  15. I followed this recipe to a T and the fruit tart was fantastic.
    Whole foods has recently started adding a layer of white chocolate between the crust and creme. The added layer makes it harder to eat and kind of disrupts the dessert which is why I wanted to make my own. I'm so happy I found your recipe. This is THE recipe for what I consider an authentic french fruit tart. Thank you!!!!

    Reply

    1. Hmm, truthfully I have never tried freezing them myself. I think that the bottom tart crust would get soggy by the time the tart is defrosted unless you use a thin layer of melted chocolate to protect it. And from what I've read, pastry cream separates when frozen. The shell could be made ahead and frozen though, then just make the pastry cream a day in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

      Reply

    1. No, I would not refrigerate the baked crust. I would just keep it in an airtight container on the counter.

      Reply

  18. Superb Post amazing recipe of fruit tart. keep posting like this . My family likes this recipe so much. Thanks.

    Reply

  19. 2 questions: can I add cocoa to make a chocolate crust? Can I use pastry flour? If yes to either, how much? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. I wish I could answer definitively but I haven't tried either of those things with this crust before before! However, I have made a chocolate pie crust with that approach of adding cocoa powder, although you might need a little extra sugar (maybe a tablespoon or two?) so the crust isn't bitter. I think pastry flour will work just fine in the same amount as the regular flour called for in the recipe.

      Reply

  20. Thank you for this! I do a baking project with my five year old every week and this week, for whatever reason, she asked to make a fruit tart (like I would ever say no to a fruit tart). This recipe was very easy for us to follow.
    The pastry cream was very runny at first, but I just let it cook longer and it thickened right up. Turned out smooth, velvety, and beautiful. The crust is currently cooling. This is where mistakes were made. I didn't roll it out thin enough, so even with pie weights it puffed up quite a bit. It's still tasty though. I can't wait for tomorrow when we fill it up and top it with delicious fruits. Even if it ends up looking like a first grade science project, I know it'll taste amazing.

    Reply

  21. While the flavors of everything were delicious, my tart custard would not hold any sort of form so once I cut and served it, the custard just oozed away and the slice form was completely lost. I followed the directions exactly with the exception of using powdered sugar instead of granulated for the custard, so wondering what could have gone wrong. Could it have been the powdered sugar?

    Reply

    1. Yes, the powdered sugar could be the culprit. Also, next time you could cook the custard just a little bit longer. But do keep in mind that pastry cream always sets up soft (although it shouldn't ooze).

      Reply

  22. Help! I have no idea what I did wrong. My pastry crusts look & smell amazing, but my pastry cream is liquid. I feel that I followed the directions exactly, with the 2 exceptions that I doubled the ingredients & used vanilla extract instead of paste. It's been 4 hours & my cream is a thicker milk, definitely liquid, not cream. 😖

    Any thoughts on where I may have gone wrong? Also, just to be sure. The recipe says sugar. I'm assuming granulated? Thank you.

    Reply

    2. Oh dear! If your pastry cream is liquid, there are two possible issues. The first is that you just didn't cook it long enough. It will thicken if the ingredients are accurate, although your time may be slightly longer than stated. If you are sure your ingredients are right but it's totally a thick milk, the only thing I can think to do to try and salvage it is to put it back on the stove or even in the microwave and cook it longer to see if it will thicken up. But my bigger worry is that in doubling the ingredients you may have accidentally forgotten to double the cornstarch, which would definitely give you a result of thick milk that doesn't thicken all the way to being pastry cream. And yes, it is granulated sugar.

      Reply

  23. I made this with fresh raspberries and it was so delicious. A question about the crust. I put in in the pan like you described and after it baked it shrank from the top of the pan. i have had this happen before. Your crust looks great so what am I doing wrong. More pie weights?

    Reply

  24. Hi Amy! I am hoping to make this recipe for two smaller tarts of about 4-inches. What would the baking time for the pastry be in this case? Half the time (15 + 5 mins)?

    Reply

  25. Hey Amy! I wanted to recreate this tart and I don’t have a tart plate. Can I get a link to where you got yours? I can’t find one anywhere.

    Reply

  26. Tried it! The filling was absolutely divine and went well with the fruit. I only had a cup of milk left so I added in evaporated milk for the rest that was needed and it went really well. The only problem I had was with the crust. I followed the recipe exactly but my crust was really hard afterward. The bits I could get out were scrumptious. Im not quite sure what happened. But other than that, good recipe!

    Reply

    1. If you wanted to make this in a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish I would recommend doubling the recipe.

      Reply

    1. I think you would probably need to increase the crust and filling recipes by maybe doing 1 1/2 batches of each.

      Reply

  30. Wanting to make this to surprise someone for their bday tomorrow but we live in the same house. Can I make the pastry dough ahead of time? Would I bake the dough and then cover in foil or just leave it to freeze? Thanks. 

    Reply

  33. I tried this yesterday as someone very new to cooking. Everything tasted fantastic (I didn't do a glaze as I didn't have the ingredients) ! However I think I baked the crust too long and it was too hard and didn't cut well, crumbling in certain parts. This was quite an eye opener to me, the amount of effort that goes into a proper pastry but I thoroughy enjoyed it.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Aaron

    Reply

  34. Hello:
    Thank you for the wonderful recipe, this was a winner! I made it today and it was delicious. I only had strawberries and blueberries; but it still tasted wonderful. I made another fruit tart before, but this one is fantastic

    Reply

  35. I made this for my son’s birthday and it was a hit with everyone! Turned out perfectly gorgeous and tasted fantastic! I used your workaround of spreading melted chocolate into the crust and it really took it to the next level. What a delicious treat! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful recipe!

    Reply

  36. Hi Amy, this tart looks stunning. I've made a tart before and don't recall if I made the shell using my hands since I don't have a food processor. I do have a Ninja "blender" and am wondering if that is suitable? Thank you.

    Reply

  38. Hi this looks so good, I was wondering if I can make the cream the day before and refrigerate overnight?

    Reply

  39. My favorite dessert in life is a French Fruit Tart. I finally worked up the courage and made one following your recipe and it is perfection ♥️ Absolute perfection!! Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!

    Reply

  40. Isn't this just the America's Test Kitchen Recipe? If so you should really reference them and give them credit for developing the recipe. In fact I don't think it's legal to repost their recipes as you have to subscribe to them to get them.

    Reply

    1. No, actually it's adapted from Julia Child's recipe. With classic recipes like a fruit tart, the ingredients will frequently be the same and there are no issues with sharing common measurements. Plus, I always rewrite the instructions in my own voice. I have used America's Test Kitchen recipes and like many of them, but often find them overly complex and unnecessarily difficult or intimidating for many people.

      Reply

  41. Really lovely recipe, love the pastry cream but I found the pastry very soft and hard to pick up once rolled, and it even ripped in places and I had to make repairs once in the dish. I also found 30 mins too long for the pastry and it was over cooked. Once I’d finished decorating I was abit disappointed when I cut a slice because the cream and fruit didn’t stay in place and it looked abit messy, perhaps I should of put it in the fridge for a while before cutting? Or how about a setting agent? 
    I’m not used to cooking in tablespoons, rather grams and when it came to the butter for the pastry I was worried if I had measured it properly as it’s hard to get it  100% when the butter is hard. Could I get it in grams instead? 
    I enjoyed making this but hoping it turns out abit better second time round 

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  42. Thank you for this recipe! I just finished making, and it's amazing! I didn't have whole milk on hand, so I used coconut milk. The consistency and taste were unchanged. I'll probably be making this monthly now 🙂

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  43. Hi! I attempted this fruit tart yesterday and the crust came out great but the cream didn't set 🙁 the milk had boiled and I wonder if that's why. I'll have to give it another try.

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    1. If the pastry cream didn't thicken, it wasn't cooked long enough. Try cooking it longer on the store while whisking. If measured correctly, it will thicken and set up every time. If it hasn't thickened on the stove, then it just hasn't cooked long enough.

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  44. (1) Although tempering eggs is a well-established culinary tradition, the only rationale behind it is speed and efficiency in a commercial kitchen. Creme patissiere works perfectly well if you allow your milk/sugar mixture to cool down below 60 degrees C before adding your egg yolks. The sugar will not crystallize out of the milk in that time.

    (2) Cornstarch isn't going to give you much more viscosity than using something traditional like flour. This allows you to avoid the odd flavor that cornstarch occasionally gives things. (3) I'm surprised you never even considered using real vanilla pods. You need to scrape them out and cook them with your milk mixture, but it's well worth the effort, especially since there are so many substandard faux vanilla pastes out there these days. (4) Adding just one pinch of salt (I define this as 0.5 grams) to your creme patissiere can improve the flavor immensely.

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  45. Hi Amy,
    I'm in the process of making divine tart for my partner for his birthday, but the pastry cream has not thickened very much. It's still quite runny. Is there anything I can do? Or do I need to start over with that??? I'd be so grateful if you see this message - or anyone else who knows what to do. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Ruby! If your pastry cream is still runny, try cooking it longer. It tends to thicken more as it chills in the fridge, but if you already did that step and it's still runny, I could just put it back in a saucepan and heat it over medium-low, then once it is warm, increase the heat to medium, whisking while it thickens. If it's still not thickening, then the issue is likely that there was some cornstarch accidentally left out. You could try making a cornstarch slurry with 2 extra teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons of milk and adding that to the warm pastry cream while stirring to help thicken it more.

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        1. I'm glad that worked for you to just cook it a little longer on the stove! That's typically the problem 99% of the time! Glad we figured it out and that's the trickiest part!

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    2. Phew! I managed to rescue it! I put it back on the stove and kept stirring and eventually it thickened up. I just didn't leave it there long enough. All set now. Wish me luck for the rest! x

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  46. This was amazing! We moved back to the states from Europe last year and have missed the pastries something fierce! This was spot on. Thank you for posting this and we will be making it frequently.

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  47. Hi Amy, I would like to try this recipe for the 4th of July weekend and I was wondering if it’s possible to prepare the dough for the pastry crust the day before? Thank you. 

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    1. Hi Jasmin! Sure! You can make the crust ahead and wrap it well in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. Just be sure to give it enough time to warm up a bit on the counter so it's easy enough to roll out.

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  48. Made the fruit tart this week for a family get together. It was absolutely delicious, totally scrummy.
    A real showstopper, lots of compliments so will definitely be making this again.

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