By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 5½ hours chilling
- Rating
- 4(144)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A classic berry tart is a perfect way to showcase your farmers’ market bounty, but it’s also kind of staid and dull, offering up visions of a vicar’s tea with an old aunt. But here, you’ll infuse the pastry cream with rose petals and sweeten the crust with almonds, giving a sexy twist to an old standby. For those with green thumbs, here’s a different way to showcase your most fragrant roses, free of pesticides and redolent of summer in the garden.
Featured in: A Fresh Fruit Tart, Perfumed With Roses
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 1½cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓cup confectioners’ sugar
- Grated zest of ½ lemon
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- ½cup blanched sliced almonds
- 1large, unsprayed, fragrant rose (about 1 cup petals), or ½ teaspoon rosewater
- 2cups whole milk
- ⅓cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓cup sugar
- 5large egg yolks
- 1 to 2pints raspberries, blueberries or hulled strawberries
For the Tart Shell
For the Tart Shell:
For the Pastry Cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
499 calories; 22 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 20 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 63 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
For the crust, place ¼ cup flour and the almonds in a food processor. Run until the almonds are finely ground, about 1 minute. Pulse in remaining one and a quarter cups flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt.
Step
2
Add the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add the egg and pulse until the dough comes together. Press dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 4 hours or up to a week.
Step
3
To make the pastry cream, pull the rose petals from the stem and drop into a heavy saucepan. Pour in milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Strain and discard petals; pour liquid into pot and return to a simmer. (If you are using rosewater, skip the steeping; bring milk to a simmer and stir in the rosewater off the heat.)
Step
4
In a medium bowl, whisk flour and sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just starts to boil, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
5
In a large bowl, whisk yolks until pale and thick. Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk mixture into the yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thick and smooth (170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer). Do not let the mixture boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Chill 1 hour before using or up to 5 days.
Step
6
When ready to bake the tart, roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic to a ⅜-inch thickness. Remove plastic and line a 9-inch tart pan with the dough; chill for 30 minutes.
Step
7
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the tart shell with foil and fill with baking weights. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and weights. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 to 10 more minutes, until pale golden. Allow tart shell to cool completely before filling.
Step
8
Spoon chilled pastry cream into cooled tart shell. Arrange berries over the top of the tart. Serve within 2 hours for the best texture.
Ratings
144
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Cooking Notes
nutsnbolts
The crust cracks very easily, so it doesn't serve neatly. Consider assembling in smaller individual tarts. The flavor and fragrance are heavenly
nyc-cook
Made again! This time steeped a generous bundle of thyme leaves overnight in simmered milk then flavored the pastry cream with orange blossom water and honey. Topped with fresh sliced apricots and blueberries. This is such a versatile recipe! Very fun to imagine different herbal/floral combinations playing with fresh summer fruit. Thanks Melissa!
Avy
for gluten free crust: Substituted all purpose flour with same measurement of a one-one type non gluten flour, used caster sugar instead of powdered sugar since I figured there was enough starch in the non-gluten flour, and 50 grams of almond flour instead of grinding 1/2 cup of almonds into flour.
JUST THE CRUST
Its the perfect recipe for crust !!!!
Karen&Ian
Great tart shell that doesnt require the digital scale. Used almond flour, the lemon is not strong so suitable for other bakes. Makes enough for 1.5 9 inch tart shells
mallory
My pastry cream thickened up too much after adding the flour and sugar and ended up being a bit floury tasting in the end. I don’t see any other comments like this — but if you found the pastry cream didn’t work out — you’re not alone. It was beautifully smooth.
KC
I've made this several times. Used fresh rose petals, dried ones and rosewater; whole milk and condensed, thickened with flour and with corn starch. Finally got it right with a can of condensed milk topped up with whole, 2 tsp rosewater, 4 egg yolks, 1 T flour, 1 T cornstarch and a little bit more sugar. I found flour sort of dulls the rose flavor, especially when using fresh rose petals. It's worth the experimentation to perfect because it's an unusual way with strawberries. Crust: no problems!
mattia
This crust was heavenly. Seeing a lot of comments that this crust crumbled for others, but it was the sturdiest tart crust ive ever made. Will be using for all of my tarts! I wish I would have added a little gelatin to the custard to help it set more firmly. Excited to try different herb when I steep the milk next time!
Margaret
60 g almond flour.Skipped rose water and lemon zest
Christina
I will say that this dessert is light and adaptable to many different flavor profiles, however, I found it underwhelming. The pastry cream didn’t have much flavor - perhaps that could have been fixed with a pinch of salt - nor did it keep its shape when cut. Additionally, the crust crumbled more than I prefer with a tart shell. While it did fit the profile of a light summer dessert, I don’t think I’ll be keeping this one in the recipe box to make again.
jesse
I took before and after photos to show the enormity of the epic fail of the custard/pastry cream! The tart crust was perfect— golden with a bit of crunch, yet still tender. The pastry cream was a disaster! Followed the recipe,and the cream did thicken up in the pan(note no corn starch) then chilled for 4 hours. The tart looked great, but when cut was an embarrassing goopy mess that warranted apologies to friends at a birthday party. Bummer! Next time,this tart dough with Anne Burrell' s cream...
Lauren
Can I use dried rose petals? I have a generous gift from an Iranian friend.
nyc-cook
Made again! This time steeped a generous bundle of thyme leaves overnight in simmered milk then flavored the pastry cream with orange blossom water and honey. Topped with fresh sliced apricots and blueberries. This is such a versatile recipe! Very fun to imagine different herbal/floral combinations playing with fresh summer fruit. Thanks Melissa!
Bettina
Thick, dense, hard crust. Used walnuts. Like a very hard to bite shortbread cookie.
But...very easy.
nyc-cook
This tart worked beautifully for me. I made it almost as directed (though used orange zest and almond flour in the crust because that's what I had on hand.) The crust is fragrant and sweet with just a but of crunch after about 35 minutes (20 with weights, 15 uncovered.) Sliced neatly. I used 1/4 cup sugar and 2% milk in the pastry cream and it was plenty rich and sweet for my taste. A perfect compliment to raspberries and blueberries! Showstopper of a presentation as well. Enjoy!
nutsnbolts
The crust cracks very easily, so it doesn't serve neatly. Consider assembling in smaller individual tarts. The flavor and fragrance are heavenly
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