With a puff pastry crust, a delicious vanilla pastry cream filling, and plenty of fruit on top, this strawberry kiwi tart is a delicious end to any meal.
A few weeks ago I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in YEARS.
The first thing she asked is if I’m still baking. Not how I’ve been doing, not what I’m up to, but if I still bake as much as I used to.
(Yes. I bake every now and then. . .Every once in a while. . .)
She remembered a raspberry tart I’d made for a dinner party, like, forever ago.
I remembered that tart very specifically, as I came across it in Living during the height of my puff pastry obsession and immediately planned a dinner party as an excuse to make it.
(I’m not the only person out there who plans dinner parties based upon and centered around just one recipe right? That’s a thing?)
Seriously, my obsession was hard core. I made turnovers (just like these) practically non-stop for months so everyone was glad when I finally used puff pastry for a tart instead.
With all the gorgeous fruit in season I decided to revive my obsession and resurrect that tart, in a new form. Clearly, for this strawberry kiwi tart, I used strawberries and (the prettiest-ever) kiwi but you could use any fruit that strikes your fancy.
The filling (underneath the fruit) is this gorgeous, luscious-and-creamy vanilla pastry cream. If pastry cream intimidates you, please don’t let it.
Sure, it’s not the easiest thing on earth to make and it requires a water bath to cool down, but it’s so worth the effort. As long as you follow the directions you should be fine; be sure not to cook your pastry cream over too high or your eggs will probably scramble. (And scrambled eggs are my biggest issue when I make pastry cream.)
You’ll probably have leftover pastry cream—and lucky you. I recommend keeping it for yourself because it’s sooo good alongside a bowl of fruit as an afternoon snack. But you could also serve it alongside the tart, if you’re a more generous person than I am.
Here’s to old friends and old obsessions! Do you have any culinary obsessions or am I just eccentric?
P.S. The movers come TOMORROW! Annnnnd cue the stress eating :). Have a wonderful week!
Strawberry kiwi tart featuring a puff pastry crust, a delicious vanilla pastry cream filling, and plenty of fruit on top.
- Crust:
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into several chunks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream chilled
- 1 to 2 cups hulled + sliced strawberries
- 1 to 2 cups peeled + sliced kiwi
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting (if desired)
- Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and pinch closed any holes in the dough. (If your puff pastry came in two sheets, place end to end and pinch to form one large sheet.) Roll into a 9- by 18-inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or sharp paring knife to trim the edges to form a perfect rectangle. Cut 2 1-inch strips of pastry from the short end and 2 from the long sides of the rectangle. (The rectangle should now be 7 by 16 inches.) Carefully transfer to a large baking sheet. The easiest way to transfer is to fold the large rectangle in thirds, like a letter, then move it. If you try to move without folding your pastry will probably stretch.
- Pierce the rectangle all over with a fork. Use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg all over the pastry. Set the strips of pastry on the edges of the rectangle, lining them up so they’re even on all sides. Trim the strips to fit, if needed; the strips will overlap at the corners. Brush the beaten egg under the overlapping corners, then brush the top of the strips with the egg wash. Do not let the egg wash drip down the sides of the tart shell. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, until brown and puffed all over. Remove from the oven and use a clean kitchen towel to press down on the center of the shell, avoiding the edges. Bake for 5 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack, pressing down in the center again if needed to prevent shell from being overly puffy inside the edges. (You can make the tart shell up to 1 day in advance but don’t fill until just before you serve the tart.)
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and place in the fridge while you prepare the pastry cream.
- Combine the cornstarch, flour, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Place the eggs in a second medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the flour-cornstarch mixture until well combined.
- Combine the milk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Place pan over medium-high heat and heat to just under a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and, whisking the eggs constantly, very slowly pour hot milk into the egg-flour mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened—this will take about 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a large heat-proof mixing bowl and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to release some of the heat. Remove the bowl of ice water from the fridge and set the heat-proof bowl on top of the ice water. Allow the pastry cream to cool, stirring often, until completely chilled, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Once tart shell is completely cool, place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the pastry cream. Gently spread the pastry cream into the bottom of the tart shell in an even layer. (If you have filling left over, store it in the fridge—it makes a delicious dip for fruit.)
- Arrange the sliced fruit on top of the pastry cream. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, then serve and enjoy.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats says
Looks yummy! No wonder your friend remembered it from several years ago!! I am so excited for strawberries to be in season and they would be perfect on this tart! Xoxo 🙂
Marie @ Yay! For Food says
Do I have culinary obsessions? Of course! Right now, lemons anything! Berries anything! Actually just food all the time. ha ha. Anyway this tart looks so delicious! I love the combo of strawberries and kiwi. That pastry cream looks so delicious and I want to dip all the fruits in it!
dawnyucuiscooking says
Oh, yum. I love this tart. Puff pastry is the best. I would love a piece of this tart right now. I hope your move goes well!
Phyllis Geulasse says
I am crazy about this, it sounds beyond delicious! The colors of the fruit are so pretty too 🙂
Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen says
So pretty Kelsie! Perfect for spring and summer!
Kelsie says
Thank you Mary Ann!
wearenotmartha says
This looks AWESOME!! I love all things with the strawberry kiwi combination and think it looks so pretty, too!! Plus, all that pastry cream. Yummmm. Good luck with the move… I hope you made a few of these to get through it 🙂
Sues
Kelsie says
Thank you Sues! I’m going to be relying heavily on baked goods to get me through this :). Have a great rest of your week!
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen says
droooling over here! yet again! looks beautiful! and so summery!
Kelsie says
Haha! Thank you Georgie!
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
scrambled eggs are definitely my prob w making pastry cream (i get impatient, crank up the heat, and BOOM bad things). and then i have to use my strainer (and deal with cleaning it after). the strugs. this looks so good though, from the flaky, light pastry to all that fresh fruit ??
Kelsie says
I feel your pain, Heather! How many times have a scrambled pastry cream? Too many to count, haha! Thank you! Have a great rest of your week 🙂
evolvewithmary says
Soooo I’ve never made a tart before but that doesn’t mean I’m not up for the challenge. Especially since this one features strawberries and kiwis one of my my favorite combinations. That raspberry tart must have made a lasting impression on your friend lol.
Kelsie says
You can totally do it, Mary! Strawberries and kiwis are just perfect together aren’t they? Hope you’re having a great day!
marcie@flavorthemoments says
That tart looks like something that I would remember forever. Puff pastry day was one of my favorite days in cooking school and there were a few tarts like this — I think I ate my weight in them that day! This strawberry kiwi version sounds so good and the colors are so pretty. Gorgeous job!
Kelsie says
Thank you so much, Marcie! Does that mean you made puff pastry from scratch? So impressive! I bet puff pastry day was one fantastic day, indeed :).
grace says
i will eat anything on puff pastry, i’m pretty sure. bonus points for you because the cream and fruit are glorious additions!
Kelsie says
Puff pastry is soooo freaking good right? It makes everything taste even better. Thank you Grace! Have a great week!
eastofedencook says
What a beautiful tart! I can’t seem to get enough strawberries this season and this lush tart captures by obession perfectly.
Kelsie says
Thank you Deb! Strawberries are one of my favorite things about this time of year 🙂
Milena | Craft Beering says
I have always wanted to make a pastry cream (usually thinking about it while eating pastries:) and I might just attempt this one. I am confident that if I open a beer to give me strength while following the steps I’ll manage to avoid the scrambled eggs outcome:) Happy moving day – hope it all goes well for you!
Kelsie says
Haha! I think a beer is the perfect thing to give you the necessary strength :). It’s really not difficult to make, it just requires some patience. Thank you Milena! Have a great week!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
LOL! I LOVE that the first thing your friend asked you was about baking! I mean, that says it all! 😉 I’m not sure I’ve ever actually planned a menu around one dish, unless it was the actual main dish. If it’s a side, appetizer or dessert and it doesn’t really “fit”, I will just include it anyways, because I’m a food rebel like that! HAHAHA. Anyways, I loooove fruit tarts, but I haven’t had one since culinary school. So it’s been WAY TOO LONG! Yours looks perfect, girlfriend! GOOD LUCK MOVING!!! I’ll be thinking about you and praying it all goes smoothly for you!! Cheers!
Kelsie says
I squeeze dishes in to menus too, whether they work with the rest of the food or not. If something tastes good I just can’t resist. Fruit tarts are so good right? I like to tell myself I can have an extra-big piece because fruit is good for me :). Thank you so much Cheyanne! I’m so excited to be done with this already! Have a wonderful week!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
This is gorgeous! And that vanilla cream sounds divine! I hope there’s one of these waiting for you at the end of your move; you’ll have earned it! Good luck with everything – you’re one day closer! Woohooooo!
Kelsie says
Thank you Annie! I would love to see one of these waiting for me on the other side of this whole move. I cannot wait to be done with this! Have a great week, my friend!
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess says
Of course I plan my dinner parties around my dessert! 😀 I thought everyone did? Your dessert is beautiful Kelsie! Perfect for a dinner party! Pinning!
Kelsie says
Haha! Dessert is the most important part of the meal, isn’t it? Thank you Kim! Have a great week!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Culinary obsessions? Totally! I dream about food sometimes. Those are the best kinds of dreams! Girl, it is so funny seeing this this morning. Just this weekend I made a puff pastry tart similar to this that I’m posting in a little while. Though, my has lemon curd on it. I guess you and I love our puff pastry 😉 I tend to make waaaay to much stuff when having a dinner party. I never want to run out and then end up with so much food leftover. Oh well!! Yay for the movers!! Hope you have an awesome week, Kelsie 🙂
Kelsie says
Oh I can’t wait to see your tart! Lemon curd makes everything delicious :). I’m so glad I’m not the only one who over-prepares for dinner parties! I always have enough food to feed twice the people who actually are there. It’s too hard to narrow down the menu! Thank you Dawn! You have an awesome week, too!
David | Spiced says
Movers come tomorrow?? That means you have 24 hours to bake and eat everything in your pantry! Need some help? 🙂 Seriously, though, I love this tart. It’s so colorful and perfect for these warm(er) days. I’ve definitely planned parties around menu items, so I totally get where you’re coming from there. Oh, and I totally get the reputation as a baker, too. One of the girls who I see occasionally at the curling club calls me the Muffin Man because I brought muffins to the club one time. Hah! Good luck with the move, and I can’t wait to hear stories!
Kelsie says
As a baker, do you ever find that people dread seeing you coming because they fear for their waistlines? Haha! I try not to take it personally when that happens. They must have been some awesome muffins if they inspired a nickname :). I’m eating my remaining chocolate chips as fast as I can so they don’t melt on the drive over. It’s a tough job so I’ll keep you in mind for next time I have to do it. Not that I’m ever moving again. Ever. Happy Monday, David!
Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says
This sounds SO good!!! It reminds me of a ‘fruit pizza’ that we used to make with a sugar cookie crust and sweet cream cheese base. I love that you use puff pastry here…I’m sure it gives it that salty-sweet flavor that is ADDICTIVE!! Yum Kelsie!
Kelsie says
I love fruit pizza! (I love pizza in any form, really.) The puff pastry makes such a perfect base, and adds that lovely salt that you need with all the sweet :). Thank you Lindsay! Have a great week!
Patrick@looneyforfood says
This is beautiful! I have culinary obsessions as well!
Kelsie says
Thank you Patrick! Happy Monday!