Fresh Fruit Tart

Recipe Updated!

Sorry for not posting anything in a week. Summer is a busy time for mamas. But stay on the lookout for new and delicious recipes coming this week to Halal Mama’s World Kitchen.

Yesterday I made this fresh fruit tart again but used a new tart shell and changed a bit the cream. The result was a much tastier and egg-free tart. So I have made changes to this recipe to reflect this new version.

One of my favorite things about the warm weather months is how perfect the timing is for fruit desserts! I made a festive fruit tart as one of my dessert options for last weekend's picnic. I love this fresh alternative for a summer dessert because you can top it off with a variety of favorite fruits of the season and it is always visually impressive.

This dessert uses table cream which is a popular Brazilian ingredient. It's actually used quite liberally in many recipes from my home country. It ranks right up there with condensed milk in terms of how much it is used. Strangely enough for me, most people in America have never heard of table cream which makes me wonder if my local Walmart is restocking this product simply on my behalf. Thanks, Walmart!

Anyway, Table Cream (Creme de Leite, as it is known in Brazil) is a thick cream that comes in a can and is extremely versatile. Although fairly unknown among my friends, I’ve been seeing it more frequently in stores and even on Amazon.

Fresh Fruit Tart
Inspired by The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

This is a very simple recipe. I used a tart shell made with Egg Free Vanilla Wafers Ina Garten’s tart shell recipe but you can use any other that you prefer. The other great thing about this tart is that you can make the shell and cream the day before and simply assemble just prior to the party. The tart shell should stay out of the fridge while the cream should be covered with plastic wrap directly on its surface and kept in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the tart.

Tart Shell

Makes 1 (11-inch) tart shell

120 (egg free) vanilla wafers (each 12-ounce box has about 72 wafers so will need to buy 2 boxes)
10 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and set aside a 11” round (28 cm) false bottom tart pan.

In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers until finely ground (you will have about 3 1/3 cups). Add butter cut in pieces and pulse until crumbs are all moistened.

Place crumb mixture in tart pan and press firmly to bottom and sides of the pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until crust is lightly browned. Let it cool until room temperature before assembling.

Cream

1 can condensed milk
3 cups of milk
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 can Table Cream

Dissolve cornstarch in ½ cup of milk.

Pour mixture into saucepan adding condensed milk and the remaining milk. Cook in low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has turned into a cream.

Remove from heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes before mixing in the table cream. Let it cool to room temperature before assembling tart.

Fruit Topping

Choose any fruit you like such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes and peaches. I used strawberries, grapes and mandarin oranges.

To assemble the tart, first spread the cream in the tart shell and then arrange the fruits according to your taste.