Fruit tarts

One thing I am very excited to make is a tart. They are not just a delicious dessert but a work of art.

Lets start with a basic tart crust: 

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup butter, chilled and cut into 12-15 chunks
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine flour, salt and sugar. Add in chunks of butter and pulse carefully until the mixture resembles very coarse sand.
Pour in ice water in a slow stream and continue to pulse (slightly longer pulses here) until the dough comes together into a large, rough ball. It should not be too wet or sticky, but if it is too crumbly to hold together, add an additional tbsp or two of ice water.
Divide dough into two discs and wrap each tightly in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, or store (even more tightly wrapped) in the freezer for 1-2 months. Refrigerated dough should be fine to work with for about a week.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out half of the dough (one disc, from recipe above) into a circle large enough to fit a 9-10-inch tart pan.
Press dough into pan without stretching it and pinch any excess off along the top edge. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork several times, line with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and pie weights, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool completely before filling

You can fill them with pastry cream or whip cream, and you can fill them with pretty much any fruit you like.



Check out http://www.bonappetit.com/ideas/tart-recipes/search for some really great tart recipes!

Happy Baking!
-Ashley