First off, I’m very sorry about being so inconsistent on the site. I’m sure everyone understands when I say that there are moments when life occasionally throws something difficult in your way that demand all your time and attention. Well, I’m having one of those periods in my life and I just needed to start prioritizing things that were more important. Thankfully, I had a moment today to finish up my afternoon tea series for Downton Abbey. I’m very sorry but I hope you enjoy it.
We’re finally at the top tier of our afternoon tea menu and quite often this is usually my favorite section. There are sometimes really elaborate and dainty sized pastries and cakes on top but I kept this fairly simple and easy to put together. The recipe I have for you today are these fantastic mini fruit tarts. This is a great recipe to make use of what’s seasonal while bringing in a wonderful pop of color from the fruit you use on top. The recipe for the tart crust and custard comes from, The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton. It’s one of my favorite books to look through for inspiration so that a peek through some of the many recipes when you get a chance.
Depending on when you make these tarts, use whatever fruits are in season. I would image segmented citrus in the winter would look fantastic on these tarts. Please enjoy the recipe!
Downton Abbey: Fruit Tarts
Ingredients
Short Crust
- 5.5 oz all purpose flour
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Baked Custard Pudding
- 2 cups whole milk
- zest of half a lemon
- 2 ounces granulated sugar
- 3 large whole eggs
- grated nutmeg
- seasonal fruit as needed
- apricot jam as needed
Instructions
Short Crust
- In a bowl, add your flour and butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until you reach the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add a bit of water at a time just until you can press it into a ball of dough.
- Roll it out two to three times, folding the paste over each time. Wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness. Punch out circles slightly larger than your mold. In this case, I used mini cupcake molds to make these tarts. Press the dough gently into mold. With a fork, dock the base of each tart shell. Bake for 10-15 minutes until it's lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool.
Baked Custard Pudding
- In saucepan, combine milk together with the sugar and lemon zest. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and whisk in the eggs. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tart shells and freshly grate a bit of nutmeg on top. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until the custard is set on the edges but gives just a slight wiggle in the center. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
- Once cool, nicely arrange your fruit on top. Brush the fruit with the apricot jam to help preserve and finish the tarts.
