Rose and Butterfly Garden Fruit Tart

This gorgeous but really easy and yummy bake came about because I had leftover cookie dough, egg yolks and fruits from my previous birthday bake. Presenting my garden fruit tart with roses and butterflies!

A closer look at a strawberry rose...

...And a peach and grape butterfly kissing a rose!

Begin by making the cookie dough. Most fruit tart recipes use sweet pastry crust as the tart base. Some use crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter. The cookie dough I used is brown sugar based so it lends an interesting flavor to the fruit tart. The texture is also different from regular fruit tarts as the crust is of a soft cookie texture (think of gingerbreadman). You may choose to use more conventional recipes for the tart base or give this a shot :). I received good reviews from my family and friends for this leftover-experimental tart! To make things simple, I will type out the portion of recipe for the 8" tart pan that I used.

Recipe for tart base:
100g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
33g butter, cubed
43g light brown sugar
1 tbs golden syrup
15g egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:
1. Sift first three ingredients together.
2. Rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Stir in the sugar
3. Combine egg, golden syrup and vanilla extract in another bowl then add to the flour mixture. Knead until a smooth dough is formed.
4. Roll the dough to form a circle that is 4-5mm thick between two pieces of cling wrap. Refrigerate for an hour at least or overnight.
5. Pat the dough onto a greased 8" tart pan ( or you could make tartlets) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180-185 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from tart pan when cooled and store in airtight container until you are ready to assemble the tart.

Recipe for pastry cream (adapted from Joy of baking):
300ml fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
40g caster sugar
20g cake flour
20g cornflour

Apricot glaze (optional):
60g apricot jam
1/2 tbs water

Steps:
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Sift cornflour and cake flour together then whisk into egg mixture until a smooth paste is formed.
2. Boil milk, remove from heat and slowly whisk add into egg mixture,  whisking constantly.
3. Pour egg mixture into saucepan and cook over medium high heat until it boils, whisking constantly. Whisk constantly for another 30-60 seconds until thick.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover with a cling wrap touching the surface of the cream. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating. It can store in the fridge for up to three days.
5. If you intend to use apricot jam glaze,  prepare it by heating the jam and water in a small saucepan until the jam has melted. Strain the jam through a fine sieve to remove lumps.

There's a whole range of fruits you can use for fruit tarts. I have chosen strawberries, canned peaches, kiwi, seedless grapes and blueberries. You may also use other types of berries, pineapples, mangoes and canned oranges too.

Here's the link to the tutorial on how to carve a strawberry rose. I created the striped body of the butterfly by slicing grapes and removing the skin of alternate sections.

Assemble the tart:
1. Brush a thin layer of apricot glaze on the tart base. This is optional but it helps to prevent the crust from being soggy too fast. Dry for 20 minutes.
2. Pipe or apply a layer of pastry cream.
3. Arrange the fruits on top of the cream and gently apply the apricot glaze with a brush.
4. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Best eaten on the day of assembly.

I had lots of fun creating this garden and it turned out surprisingly well received!

"This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (June 2014 Event: Butter) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Jozelyn Ng (Spice Up My Kitchen)"

With love,
Phay Shing