This tart is one of my family’s favorite recipes. A sweet pastry crust, a scrumptious pastry cream  and fresh fruit are the needed components.

It looks  amazing whether you use a single fruit (in my case Mango) or a cocktail of fruits (Berries, Kiwifruit, Bananas, Plums, Pineapple, Melon…)

What I like about this recipe is that you can prepare the crust and the pastry a couple of days ahead, and assemble the whole thing when ready to serve.  And this is what i did,  just make sure to take the crust and the cream out of the refrigerator to give them enough time to cool to room temperature, and give the cream a quick whisk to get rid of any lumps.

I read a tip about brushing the pre baked crust with apricot glaze (heated jam and water) to prevent the filling from softening it. (I skipped this step, and the crust was still firm and crumbly the next day)

Sweet Pastry Crust:

-  1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose

-  1/8 teaspoon salt

-  1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

-  1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white

-  1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pastry Cream:

-  1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk (whole or 2%)

-  1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-  3 large egg yolks

-  1/4 cup granulated white sugar

-  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

-  2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)

-  1/2 tablespoon orange liqueur (optional, but adds a great taste)

Tip: vanilla beans can be washed, dried and placed in a sugar bowl. I use this vanilla sugar in all my desserts. If you use vanilla sugar, don’t add any vanilla extracts to this recipe.

Topping:

- 2 medium sized Mangoes (cut into wedges)

Tip: With the skin still on, slice the wider, flat sides off the mango as close to the pit as possible, then cut the flesh into wedges, just short of the skin, being careful not to pierce through. Using a spoon, scoop out the mango slices.

Let’s start cooking!

Sweet Pastry Crust:

Whisk the flour with the salt, and set aside. Using your electric or hand mixer, beat the butter until softened in another bowl. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastry and cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.

Lightly butter and flour, or spray with a non-stick cooking spray, an 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 205 degrees C . Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (to prevent it from puffing up). Place the pan on a larger baking sheet and bake and in center rack of for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C and continue to bake for about 15 minutes or lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the crust to cool completely.

Pastry Cream:

In a heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture and mix until you get a smooth paste.

Bring the milk and vanilla bean (if using) just to boiling, remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling (you can always strain the mixture). Remove vanilla bean, scrape out seeds, and add the seeds to the egg mixture. Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). (Stir in vanilla extract is using instead of a vanilla bean.) Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature.

Assembling The Tart:

To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. Run a rubber spatula between the crust and metal bottom, then slide the tart onto your pie dish or platter.

Spread the pastry cream onto the tart shell. Place your mango slices in concentric overlapping circles on top of the cream.

Tip: After arranging the fruit, you can brush it with an apricot glaze to give the fruit a beautiful shine (Heat 1/4 cup of apricot jam and 2 teaspoons of water in a saucepan or in the microwave until melted)

Serves about 6-8 people.