Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Bake 52: Fresh Fruit Tart

This week's recipe was a yummy one, and a perfect choice for summer with all the great fruit to be had. You should definitely get the recipe from Amanda's blog.

After driving to 4 different stores near home and striking out on tart pans, I opted to use a spring-form pan instead. It worked out fine, but I'll eventually invest in a tart pan because they make such pretty crusts.  I was also excited to finally get a chance to use the cute jar of pie weights left as a thank-you from my sister after her visit in April.

My first tart was not perfect, but it did taste good. Here's the break-down of how things went.
  •  The crust was slightly overcooked even though I shaved 5 minutes off the bake time. I'm guessing it was because it was in a very dark non-stick pan not really made for tart baking.
  • The pastry cream was not thick enough. When we made the chocolate cake with pudding, I overcooked the pudding. Remembering that, I think I was overly cautious about the cooking time with the cream. I need more practice with that cooking skill.
  • Despite its thinness, the pastry cream did taste good (if you like that sort of thing, which I don't). I did try a taste, though, just to see what it was like. A mix of whipped cream and creme brulee. Lucky for me, I thought ahead and used the scraps of dough to bake a mini tart shell just for me. No cream, just crust and fruit. Perfection.
  • The presentation wasn't perfect. Unfortunately our raspberries had developed mold and only a few could be salvaged. Man, things mold so fast out here!
  • No red currant or apple jelly could be found, so I used peach which was a great match for the tart and left it very shiny and pretty.


 



3 comments:

Audrey Crisp said...

Looks so pretty!

Amanda said...

Seriously beautiful. I almost went with a spring form pan too when I didn't have the right size tart pan. It turned out so well, good to know it works. I am jealous of your pie weights. Doesn't that make me quite a dork? Yeah, it does.

Jen said...

Your presentation does look so fabulous! Way to go.