Crostata di frutta (also known as a fruit tart) is probably one of my favorite desserts of all time! Fruit tart is a perfect dessert for any occasion. It is refreshing, creamy, sweet, and crunchy at the same time, and you can prepare it in various shapes.
Make a wreath (like shown here) for the holidays, a heart shape for Valentine’s day, a number shape for a birthday party, and a simple round tart whenever you need a delicious and quick dessert. The best part of fruit tart is garnishing; you can enrich the taste and the look of the tart with fresh fruit, meringues, macarons, herbs, marshmallows, or chocolate.
Check out our favorite crostata di frutta recipe below!
Crostata di Frutta Recipe
Crostata di Frutta is made with a pastafrola dough that is baked blind (meaning with no filling in it), then afterward is filled with pastry cream and fruit. We love filling it with berries, but feel free to use any fruit you happen to have on hand!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5/6 cup confectioners sugar
- 7/8 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
Cream:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 7 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Garnish:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Currants
- Mint leaves
Instructions
Crust:
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl or a stand mixer. Knead quickly to obtain a homogeneous dough. Cover it with a cling film and refrigerate for one hour.
- Take it from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until 1/8″ thick. Use a 1.5-inch pastry ring to make a hole in the center of the crust.
- Place a greased 2-inch pastry ring in the center of the greased 9-inch tart dish with a removable bottom. Press the crust into the tart pan and up the sides of both pan and the pastry ring.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the cream.
Cream:
- Fill the ¼ of the sink with water and lots of ice.
- In a pan, combine milk, vanilla aroma, and lemon zest.
- Place it over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- In another pan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- When the milk begins to boil, remove it from the heat and pour it slowly into the yolks mixture (stirring continuously).
- Transfer the pan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until it has thickened.
- Place the pan in the sink with ice and continue to stir the cream for a minute.
- Line the crust with parchment paper and cover with beans. Bake the crust for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool. Carefully remove the bottom of the tart pan and the pastry ring.
- Fill the crust with cream and level it with a spatula.
- Top with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, and mint leaves.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Bake the crust until lightly golden brown.
- You can also use a bowl to cool the cream. Place the bowl in the freezer for at least one hour before using it.
- For more flavor, combine orange with lemon zest.
- If you would like to prepare the cream in advance, cover it with a cling film and refrigerate.
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