French Berry Torte Recipes

FRENCH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Crust: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until pea-size lumps remain. Stir together yolks and 2 tablespoons ice-cold water; drizzle over flour mixture, pulsing just until dough holds together when pressed between your fingers. (If still too dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, or freeze up to 1 month.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch round fluted tart pan, gently pressing dough into edges. Run a rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough (patch any tears with dough scraps, if necessary). Line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice.
• Bake until crust is dry, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; return to oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Brush bottom and sides evenly with chocolate; refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Custard: Meanwhile, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks; whisk until smooth. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking, until mixture has the texture of thick pudding, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Let cool completely. Whisk in sour cream until combined; transfer to crust and refrigerate until custard is set, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.
• Topping: In a small saucepan or a microwave, warm apricot jam with 2 teaspoons water just until melted (if jam is chunky, strain through a sieve). Drizzle over berries; gently stir to evenly coat. Spoon mixture over custard; serve.

BLUEBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Mix graham crackers, butter, and white sugar together in a bowl; press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Chill crust until firm, about 1 hour.
• Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly onto crust; top with blueberry pie filling. Chill until firm, 4 hours or overnight.

FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until crumbly. Mix in the egg until it forms a dough, then form into a puck shape. Cover and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for two days.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin, and use to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, leaving some overhanging. Line with a disc of baking parchment big enough to cover the edges, and fill with some baking beans to weigh it down (use dried rice or lentils if you don't have baking beans). Bake for 15 mins, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 10-15 mins more until the pastry is biscuity. Trim away any overhanging pastry with a serrated knife. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, set aside four of the apples, then peel, core and roughly chop the rest. Put them in a shallow saucepan with 2 tbsp water, all but 1 tbsp of the sugar and the alcohol, if using. Cover and cook over a low heat for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed, until the apples have collapsed into a purée. Taste the mixture and sweeten with more sugar, if needed.
• Turn the oven up to 210C/190C fan/gas 8. Peel, core and halve the reserved apples, then cut into even-sized slices. Spread the apple purée over the base of the tart case, then arrange the apple slices in neat, concentric circles, starting from the outside. Brush the apples with butter, then scatter over the reserved sugar and bake for another 20-25 mins until golden.
• Mix the jam with 1 tbsp hot water from a freshly boiled kettle. When the tart has finished baking, glaze generously with the jam, then leave to cool a little. Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar, if you like.

HEAVENLY BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Add vinegar, tossing with a fork to moisten. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. , For filling, lightly smash 2 cups blueberries in a bowl. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into smashed blueberries. Spread mixture evenly into crust; sprinkle with 1 cup of the remaining whole blueberries. Place tart pan on a baking sheet., Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven; arrange remaining berries over top. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

FRENCH BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Place a yogurt strainer or a mesh strainer lined with a fine cheesecloth or coffee filter over a jar to catch the whey and place the yogurt into the prepared strainer; place the jar(s) in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 24 hours.
• Prepare the tart shell as directed and allow to cool.
• While cooling, prepare the blueberry topping by placing half the blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, sugar and water in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and cook until thickened and clear; stir in the remaining berries; set aside and allow to cool until it just warm to the touch.
• Place the strained yogurt in a medium mixing bowl, whisk in powdered sugar.
• Spoon the sweetened yogurt into the cooled tar shell and top with blueberry topping.
• Place in refrigerator and allow to sit until thoroughly chilled.

MIXED BERRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray.
• Combine flour, butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until a soft dough forms. Press dough into the bottom of the prepared pan; prick with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edge of crust is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool; do not turn oven off.
• Place cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar; mix until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs; blend for 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice; mix until incorporated. Pour mixture into cooled tart shell.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling has set, about 25 minutes. Chill thoroughly, at least 1 hour. Top with berries and garnish with mint.