We had a birthday yesterday and each year I have to get creative in coming up with something my son will enjoy. It's not that he's a picky eater per se, rather when it comes to sweets, he's not your average kid. Here are the requirements:
- No cake.
- Not too sweet.
- Minimal chocolate.
- Must contain fruit.
- Ability to stick 9 candles in it somewhere.
OK, maybe he is picky. What's really fun is when we have others over for a party. My son is in heaven while the other kids are peering at this so-called treat with a, "THIS is his CAKE?!?" sort of expression on their faces. Ha!
At any rate, this year I made these mini fruit tarts. They were surprisingly easy and everyone devoured them! Yes, even the kids who wanted triple chocolate cake with multicolored sprinkles.
The most time consuming part was making the tarts themselves. Altogether it took about 2 hours, but the time is spread out a bit as the dough needs to rest in the fridge for a while.
Mini Fresh Fruit Tarts
Assortment of fresh fruit- diced peaches and raspberries are perfect right now!
Custard or pudding, prepared- I cheated and used Jell-O brand White chocolate pudding
Chocolate chips, melted in a bag to drizzle
Fruit Syrup- optional- I used fresh Cherry Syrup from Southridge Farms
Fruit Tart Crust
I used the Oatmeal Crisp Pastry Dough from my Lion House Bakery cookbook.
4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 TBSP vinegar
ice water
Stir together flour, oats, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter. {I just tossed it all in my Kitchenaid and mixed it using the whisk.} Add small pieces of butter while continuing to mix.
Mix together egg, vinegar and enough ice water to measure 1 cup. Add to flour mixture and mix well.
Divide dough if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. I only used half of this dough to make the tarts. The other half I still have in my fridge, waiting on me to make a fresh peach pie.
I mixed everything up in the morning, then let it rest in the fridge until early afternoon.
When you're ready to make your tarts, roll out the dough until it's about 1/4- 1/2" thick. I used the largest circle Ateco Cutters I had. They worked out perfectly for pressing into muffin tins.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. I did spray the pans lightly prior to pressing the dough inside. I also pricked the bottom of the tarts with a fork 3 times to help with shrinking.
After they're done, let your tarts cool until you're ready to use. Then spoon in some pudding and top with fresh fruit. I drizzled some Cherry syrup and both white and milk chocolate over mine.
Enjoy!
