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Individual Almond-Cream Tarts

Author: chefs-mate Cooking Method: Baking Cuisine: Chinese Courses: Baked Goods

Difficulty: Advanced

Servings: 20 Calories: 1761.7

Dietary:

V Vegetarian

Description

These individual almond-cream tarts are a stunning dessert featuring buttery, flaky pastry shells filled with a rich, vanilla-infused pudding and whipped cream mixture. The subtle almond extract adds a sophisticated depth of flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh, vibrant toppings. Choose from mandarin orange sections, sliced kiwi, strawberries, green grapes, or dark chocolate shavings for a colorful presentation. A glossy apple jelly glaze is brushed over the fruit to add shine and a light sweetness. Ideal for afternoon tea, holiday gatherings, or as an elegant finish to a dinner party, these tarts are individually portioned for easy serving. They offer a delightful contrast between the crisp crust, creamy filling, and juicy fruit.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400&# 194;Â°F (200ÃÂ°C).
In a medium bowl, combine flour and cold butter or margarine. Using your fingertips, blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small cup, beat the egg yolks with cold water.
Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Shape the dough into a ball.
On a well-floured surface, roll the pastry out to 1/8-inch thickness.
Using a floured 4 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 20 pastry circles. Reroll trimmings as necessary to get the full count.
Gently press each circle into the bottom and up the sides of a fluted tart pan (or use 20 muffin cups if using a 3 1/2-inch cutter).
Prick the pastry bottoms thoroughly with a fork.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is lightly browned.
While shells bake, beat egg whites in a small cup until frothy.
Remove shells from oven and quickly brush the hot pastry with beaten egg whites to seal the crust.
Cool shells in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then gently loosen and remove from pans. Cool completely on racks.
Prepare the cream filling by mixing the two packages of vanilla pudding with 2 1/2 cups of milk as directed on the label.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream and almond extract into the prepared pudding using a rubber spatula.
Spoon the almond cream filling into the cooled tart shells.
Drain mandarin oranges. Peel and slice kiwifruit. Halve strawberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate square.
Decorate the filled tarts with a variety of the prepared fruits and chocolate shavings.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine apple jelly and 1 teaspoon of water. Stir often until the jelly melts and the mixture is smooth.
Brush the warm glaze over the fruit toppings.
Allow the glaze to set for about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 20

Amount Per Serving
Calories 1761.7kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 60.3g93%
Saturated Fat 27.9g140%
Cholesterol 69.0mg23%
Sodium 502.5mg21%
Total Carbohydrate 278.4g93%
Dietary Fiber 23.5g94%
Sugars 135.9g
Protein 29.0g58%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

To ensure a crisp crust, do not skip the step of brushing the hot shells with egg white; this creates a moisture barrier against the filling.

If you do not have fluted tart pans, standard muffin tins work well. Just ensure you press the dough well into the corners.

The tarts can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead of time and kept refrigerated. For best texture, bring to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Feel free to substitute the fresh fruit with seasonal berries or candied nuts for a different flavor profile.

Make sure your butter is cold when cutting it into the flour for the flakiest pastry result.

Individual Almond-Cream Tarts