{foodie 60631} Summer Berry Tart

Farmers Markets are in full swing here in the Midwest. This simple, fresh tart showcases the best of summer berries from the Farmers Market. This one has strawberries and blueberries, but you could easily use raspberries and currants. This also makes a refreshing dessert for the 4th of July ... add a little whipped cream and you have red, white and blue!

Get the above look with Garnier Thiebaut's Isaphire Quartz Tablecloth and Juliska's Cake Plates. The dessert set is vintage; visit Yvonne Estelle's brick & mortar store for more vintage dinnerware selections.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water

2-3 fresh mint leaves
2 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons flour

1 ounce white chocolate

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 pint fresh blueberries

Crust: Put flour, sugar, salt, poppy seeds and orange zest in food processor and pulse for a few second to mix. Add butter and process for another ten seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix egg yolk with water. While processor is running, slowly add egg mixture until the dough just comes together. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and press into a circular disk about an inch thick. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough to fit a 9" fluted tart pan. (This dough is tender and easily tears. It is easiest to roll this out on parchment paper and then transfer dough to the tart pan using the parchment paper. You can easily patch any tears by pressing them together.) Chill tart pan with dough in freezer for 15 minutes while oven preheats to 350 F. Bake tart shell in 350 F oven for 25-30 minutes until pale golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack for 30 minutes.

Pastry Cream: Heat milk to simmer in a large saucepan; remove from heat and steep the mint leaves in the hot milk for about 2-3 minutes (fresh mint can vary in flavor ... taste to make sure the milk is not getting to minty). Beat egg yolks with the sugar in a large nonreactive bowl until mixture falls in ribbons when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the cornstarch and flour. Remove mint leaves and slowly beat in the warm milk until the egg yolk mixture is smooth.

Return mixture to saucepan. Cook stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth (it should be the consistency of sour cream. Strain pastry cream into large bowl to remove any lumps. Rub surface with butter and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until very cold or up to 2 days.

Assemble the tart: Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Lightly brush a thin layer of melted chocolate on the bottom of the tart shell. Set aside until chocolate is hardened (this is a butter shield layer that helps to keep the shell from getting soggy quickly and it adds and extra taste surprise). Spread one cup of the pastry cream (reserving the remaining pastry cream for another use) in the tart and top decoratively with the fresh summer berries of your choice. Refrigerate tart until ready to serve. This tart is best the day it is made. ENJOY!