Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Easiest Vanilla Custard EVER + Fruit Tart

For Easter, my sister, my mom and I decided to make a fruit tart for the family. Usually my small family is always in charge of the larger family get-togethers. Our family is ridiculously enormous; I have two aunts, five uncles, plus ALL of their kids (and there are a lot, trust me)... and that's just my mother's side of the family! But I wouldn't have it any other way, I love being surrounded by aunts and uncles that treat me like their own and joke around with me about random things. Our family is so tight knit that we try and see each other every Sunday of the week. Can you believe that? A huge family gathering once a week? Most families I know only meet once a year! I love my family more than anything in this world.

Anyway, my mom makes the lunch while my sister and I make the dessert. Fruit tart. It's a classic dessert that we, Vietnamese eat on special occasions such as birthdays and such. We decided to take a stab at it and it turned out pretty well! The pastry didn't crisp up as much as we would have liked but fresh fruit is always delicious and pairing it with a light cream didn't hurt either. It was definitely beautiful, at the very least! 

An assortment of fruit, prepped and ready to be arranged:
Glazing the fruit tart:
Fruit Tart with French Vanilla Custard
Yields: Enough for a crowd
Recipe slightly adapted from here


1 package of puff pastry, thawed
1 - 2 tbsn. sugar
2 large boxes of french vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups of whole milk ONLY, no substitutions!
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
4 kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 mango, peeled and sliced
1 package of strawberries, washed and hulled
1 package of blueberries, washed
1 can of longan or lychee, drained
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup apricot jelly

Remove the puff pastry from the package and lay out. Brush water on the edges of the pastry and fold each side 1/2 an inch forward to create sort of a crust. Brush the "crust" with a little more water and sprinkle with sugar. Use a fork to dock holes into the bottom to allow the steam to pass while baking. Bake according to the directions on the package and let it cool completely before assembling the tart. For the custard, mix the 2 packages of pudding, the milk and heavy cream together until it begins to thicken, about 8 - 10 minutes. Let refrigerate for about 10 - 15 minutes. Spread this mixture on the puff pastry and then top with the fruit. Bring the jelly to a boil in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After it is completely melted use a pastry brush to dab it over all of the fruit. If it gets too thick to spread again, add 1 tbsn. of water and re-boil. Enjoy!

We made my dad a small chocolate custard fruit tart because he's picky! I just melted about 2 tsp. of chocolate and whisked it into about 1/2 cup of the vanilla custard. Easy as that, and tasty too!

7 comments:

  1. Michelle this is so beautiful and colorful! I adore fruit tarts and yours is a keeper. Thanks.

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  2. Wow this looks so delicious! The colors are just so gorgeous, perfect for Spring and Summer!

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  3. waddya talking about??
    your blog is very neat and pretty and clean! i love it! :D

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  4. man those photos are goregous! I don't think I've ever asked you before, sorry if I have, but what camera/lens do you use?

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  5. I use a Canon 30D and I usually use my 50mm f1.8, basically the only one I could afford haha!

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  6. Hi! This looks so good. I grew up near Westminster and fruit tarts are my absolute favorite dessert.

    For the pudding, do you buy that pre-made? And how large of a package?

    Thank you!!!

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