Fruit Tarts Made Easy
You've just accepted an invitation to a dinner party and need to bring a dessert. You want to impress and bring a homemade dessert but don't know where to start. These fruit tarts are easy and can be made with very few ingredients.
One of my favorite shows on Food Network was Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. I was always amazed at her "short cuts" and how fabulous her desserts looked. So this recipe is an omage to Sandra Lee.
These are made with fresh strawberries but any fresh fruit would work and use what is in season for best results. I bet if you made an assorted berry tart it would be great too. The goal is to cut the fruit small enough to fit on top of the custard.
Let's get started you'll need: Bake: 375 Yields: 2 doz cookies
1 package of Better Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
2 Tbsp of strawberry fruit jam (not jelly)
2 tbsp flour
1 stick butter
1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cups cold whole milk
2 green jelly candies for decorations
1 tsp of vanilla
12 small strawberries (ripe)
Pastry brush
Parchment Paper
Follow the instructions on the package of Better Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix for rolled cookies.
You'll need to add the additional flour and room temp butter (along with the egg). Let the warmth of your hands (yes, I'm calling you hot stuff) to bring the mix together. Turn onto a floured board and gently incorporate all the ingredients. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. This will make the glutens relax and the dough will be easier to roll out. Helpful Hint: this cookie dough mix also make a wonderful crust for Summer pies.
While your dough is chilling out, let's make the custard for the cookies.
This too is "semi-homemade" and extremely easy.
Follow the instructions on the instant pudding mix (I used French Vanilla just to be a little fancy) minus 1/4 of a cup of milk. This will make your pudding into a stiff custard that will stay on the cookie and not run off. Also add 1 tsp of good vanilla (not fake stuff) or any other extracts you would like. Almond, lemon or strawberry would work also, but I caution you that too much will make your custard taste floral. Flowers are beautiful to look at but not so great to eat. Refrigerate the custard until it's set, about 20 minutes.
Bake the cookies until set but not golden brown, about 8 minutes. You want the cookies to get golden and strong enough to hold the toppings. Remove the cookies from the oven and with the back of a large spoon (or any shape you'd like) make a dimple in the cookies. This will hold the custard in place and all the toppings.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before you add the custard. Take this time to cut your strawberries small enough to fit on top of your custard. You want to think of your presentation and arrange the strawberries in a pretty fashion. After all, we eat with our eyes first! If your fruit tart is a hot mess, no one will want to even taste them.
Melt the fruit jam on the stove (or microwave) until it has liquefied. Allow to cool a little and put the pastry brush next to it for assembly. Compile the cookies just before serving them. This is NOT a make ahead dessert because the cookies tend to get soggy.
Time to assembly and this would be a fun project to do with the kids. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need together. Once you start putting them together, it will be an assembly line.
Note: take the green jelly candy and cut into small pieces. They will look like Spring leaves on your fruit tart and add that pop of color you need.
Lay the cookies on a tray lined with parchment paper. (this makes easy clean up in case anything falls off the cookie when you're putting them together) I didn't do this and had to gently move the cookies out of the way so I could clean the plate.
You'll need two spoons and drop a teaspoon full of custard on top of the dimple in the cookie, using the back of the other spoon to push it off. You want to center the custard and leave an edge around the cookie so your guests can see what the bottom is made of. (note: these can be made gluten free by using a gluten free cookie mix and gluten free pudding mix)
In a perfect World, you would allow these to chill for 20 minutes before you added the jam. It never works that way in my house and I'm rushing to finish all my tasks with little time, so I put the jam right on top. They turned out fine and nothing terrible happened.
From your container of strawberry jam, place a piece of the fruit (from the jam) in the middle of the custard. This is why you're using fruit jam and not jelly. Jelly is strained and doesn't have fruit pieces in it. This is the center of your cookie and you're going to arrange the fresh strawberries around this.
Helpful Hint: This looks like an eyeball to me and by using blackberry fruit jam (dark almost black) and some red food coloring lines coming away from the center, would make an adorable Halloween Cookie. It difficult to live within my head, I'm always thinking about what the food reminds me of, how I can reproduce a recipe and make it fun!
Now it's time to arrange your fresh strawberries. There is no perfect way to do this. It's your creation and how you want to arrange it is correct. Once the strawberries are on the fruit, you're going to brush them with the liquid part of the fruit jam.
Every wonder how the professionals get the fruit to shine on top of their pies? Poof - you just learned the secret - it's sugar water (simple syrup) or jelly. This works with any fruit, just adjust the fruit jam accordingly. Example, if you're making an apple tart, use apple fruit jelly. Apple jelly works well for apples, pears, plums, etc.
Helpful Hint: For my friends that like a little kick with their cookies, insert a mini plastic transfer pipettes (4 ml) filled with port wine, strawberry liquor or Tequila. Amazon has them in quantities of 100, but trust me, once you have them in your house, you'll find fun ways to use them. Your cupcakes can be boozy cupcakes or adult cupcakes. For children, this is a fun way to get them to take any liquids that they dislike. Measure out according to directions, draw it into the pipette and stick it in a cupcake. I warned you, my sick mind is always going!
This was fun ! Use this recipe as a base for all your creations and always remember to think outside the box or in this case, outside of the cookie package!
