Seasonal Fruit Tart

Prepare all the ingredients and tools: a 24 cm tart pan with a removable bottom, a large bowl, a mixer with a whisk or a hand whisk, a knife, a cutting board, a rolling pin, baking paper, beans or weights for blind baking, a saucepan, a whisk or spoon, plastic wrap. Take the butter out of the fridge a moment before using (it should be cold, not softened). Preheat the oven to 180°C (top-bottom) without turning on the grill, but only before baking the tart.

In a large bowl, sift in the flour (250 g) and add the powdered sugar (60 g) and salt (2 g). Mix the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Cut the chilled butter (185 g) into small cubes and add it to the flour. Rub the butter with your fingers or use a pastry cutter in a mixer (short pulses) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (the size of a pea). Then, crack in 1 egg (using from a total of 3 eggs; if using separate eggs, weigh them accurately), and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (5 g). Quickly knead the dough — combine the ingredients with your hands just until the mixture starts to form a crumbly but cohesive piece; do not knead for long (max 1-2 minutes by hand). Gather the dough into a ball, slightly flatten it, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge after at least 1 hour. Sprinkle the countertop with a little flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 3–4 mm. To achieve an even thickness, rotate the dough every few rolls of the rolling pin. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart pan. Gently press it into the bottom and sides of the pan, ensuring there are no air bubbles — press with your fingers, but do not stretch the dough over the edges. Trim the excess dough by holding the knife blade parallel to the edge of the pan. Prick the bottom densely with a fork to allow steam to escape.

Line the bottom of the pastry with parchment paper and fill it with weights (e.g. ceramic baking balls, dry beans). Place in the preheated oven (180°C) and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the tart from the oven, carefully remove the paper with the weights (be careful, as the beans will be hot) and continue baking for another 8–12 minutes, until the bottom is dry and the edges are nicely golden. After baking, remove the pan and let it cool on a kitchen rack for 10–15 minutes.

Pour the milk (500 ml) into a saucepan and heat it together with half of the sugar (47.5 g from 95 g) and vanilla extract (you can add seeds from a vanilla pod) until steam starts to rise and small bubbles appear at the edges (do not bring to a boil) — temperature about 80°C. In a bowl, mix the remaining sugar (47.5 g) with the egg yolks (use 2 eggs from a total of 3 eggs = 120 g if you want to be precise, but due to one item 'egg' in the ingredients: separate 2 eggs 120 g) and cornstarch (30 g), whisking until smooth and lump-free. Slowly pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring continuously (tempering) — this will prevent the eggs from curdling. Then pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring vigorously, until the cream thickens and starts to bubble (2–3 minutes from the moment it boils). The finished cream should be thick, silky, and have no raw flour taste. Remove from heat, add a tablespoon of butter from the total amount (in total, butter already used in the dough; if you want to add more, use about 10–15 g) and stir until melted. Pour the cream into a clean bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap (pressing the wrap directly against the cream to prevent a skin from forming) and set aside to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator to about 30–40°C before serving.

Wash the fruits just before use. Remove the stems from the strawberries (300 g) and slice them or cut them in half if they are large. Peel the kiwi (150 g) and cut it into thin slices. Gently dry the raspberries (150 g) and blueberries (100 g) with a paper towel. You can briefly macerate the strawberries: place the strawberries in a bowl, add lemon juice (10 g) and 15 g of sugar (measured from white sugar), gently mix and let sit for 8–10 minutes — the fruits will release juice and will have a more intense flavor. After maceration, drain the excess juice into a separate bowl (you can use it later to dilute the jam for glazing).

If you are using apricot jam (60 g, optional), heat it in a small saucepan with 1–2 tablespoons of water (10–20 g) for 1–2 minutes, strain through a sieve to remove fruit pieces and achieve a smooth glaze. Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool slightly. If you are not using jam, you can gently brush the fruit with a thin layer of syrup from the macerated strawberries.

On the cooled tart base (make sure it is completely cooled), optionally sprinkle a thin layer of ground almonds (30 g) — this will prevent the base from soaking up the cream and add flavor. Evenly spread the pastry cream (cold but pliable) — use a spoon or spatula, spreading the cream to the edges. Start arranging the fruits: you can make circles (on the outside: slices of strawberries, then kiwi, fill the center with raspberries and blueberries) or arrange the fruits in the shape of a heart for Valentine's Day. After arranging, gently brush the fruits with the prepared glaze (if using jam) to give them shine and protect them from drying out.

After glazing, chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the cream to set and the flavors to meld. Before serving, remove the tart from the pan — if you are using a tart pan with a removable bottom, gently separate the sides with a knife and lift the bottom. Cut the tart into 8 equal pieces with a sharp knife.

Serve the tart chilled; you can add fresh mint leaves for decoration (optional, not included in the ingredients). If you want to prepare the tart in advance, bake the crust and make the cream the day before, store them separately in the fridge, and assemble with the fruit on the day of serving.