I cannot stress the importance of having a simple yet impressive dessert in every cook’s repertoire. To celebrate Canada Day, I made a festive red and white Summer Berry Custard Tart bursting with local strawberries and raspberries. With its glistening crown of peak season berries, it is hard to miss at the dessert table. The crunchy cookie crust tastes buttery and cradles a fluffy bed of whipped custard. A well-made classic dessert never gets old when made with top-notch ingredients.
I brought this berry custard tart to a Canada Day backyard party to share among friends. Between Nationals and Canada Day Marathon, it was the end of a long weekend of racing and we were all exhausted. We hacked the tart to approximate wedges with a butter knife and flopped the pieces willy nilly on plates. There was little regard to aesthetics. Even so, the tart tasted phenomenal. It was the balance of a classic dessert that highlighted the essence of summer. I really should make berry custard tarts more often.
Why do I consider the dessert easy? The cookie crust is a basic all-butter French tart dough that lends itself to either sweet or savoury application. I rely on Dorie Greenspan’s recipe from Around My French Table with great result every single time. The dough is not fussy and can be made in food processor in a matter of minutes. It is easy to roll out and ease into the tart pan. As for custard filling, the standard proportion thickened with cornstarch works well for me. I opted to use Joanne Chang’s recipe because the yield is just right to fill a 9-inch tart pan. I lightened the chilled pastry cream with whipped cream for extra fluffy texture. The beauty of cookie crust filled with whipped pastry cream is that the crust does not get soggy even after resting a day in the fridge. I can’t say the same for pie crust!
Topping the filled tart with berries is possibly the toughest part of this dessert. Berries come in all shapes and sizes so finding enough similar size berries took some meticulous effort. I started with one single strawberry in the centre of the tart and surrounded it with concentric circles of more strawberries, ending with a ring of raspberries. I chose to glaze the fruit but not for visual purposes. Since I made the tart a day before I planned to serve, the glaze sealed in moisture so the berries would not dry up in the fridge. Just do not be over-zealous with the glaze. You want to showcase the spectacular berries, not globs of glaze.
I thought it was amusing when my friends told me most custard tarts are made with boxed vanilla pudding so they really appreciate the fresh taste of one made from scratch. Boxed vanilla pudding! Those things are vile! Consider how easy it is to made pastry cream with egg yolks, milk, cornstarch, and sugar, just say no to the wannabes. I am a little sad that berry season will soon be over. In the mean time, I better take advantage of the seasons and enjoy another custard tart before I have to wait for next year.
