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Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Easy Rustic Fruit Tart: Low Effort, Fabulous Impression

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We had out-of-town guests over the weekend, and on Sunday, I put together a nice brunch. To finish the brunch, I thought a fruit tart would be lovely. For baking pies and tarts from scratch, this rustic pie tops my list for ease.


Time: 20 minutes to prepare the tart (depending on fruit filling prep); 30 to 35 minutes to bake

ingredients:
1 patty of pie dough (enough for 1 crust)
2 cups of fruit pie filling (fresh or frozen berries, fresh or frozen peaches, fresh, frozen, or canned apples, with appropriate amount of sugar and flour)


  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Lightly butter an extra-large baking sheet.
  • Prepare the fruit filling for the pie with fruit, sugar, and a thickener, such as flour. Precook the filling in a microwave in short bursts to thicken and stirring often or in a saucepan over the stove, stirring often.

  • While the filling is cooling, roll out the pie pastry to about 14 or 15 inches in diameter.
  • Carefully transfer the pastry to the baking sheet.

  • Spoon the prepared and thickened filling onto the center of the circle of dough.

  • Using a table knife or off-set spatula, gently fold the pastry over the filling to make a round-ish and flat tart. 
  • Check for cracks near the edge that could leak filling. Repair any cracks with a scrap of dough and a drop of water.

  • Sprinkle with granulated sugar (optional)
  • Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven.
  • Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Using a couple of regular or off-set spatulas, gently lift the tart onto a serving plate.
  • Just before serving, sprinkle confectioner's sugar through a sieve or sifter. Cut into wedges.


I used pie pastry from this recipe. The dough is easy to mix up and makes 5 single crusts. Once divided into 5 portions, the pastry can be individually wrapped and kept in the freezer for several months. 

I use this pastry for both savory and sweet pies. The fact that I almost always have pie dough ready in the freezer means that I can decide relatively last-minute to make something like this kind of tart or a meat pot pie to serve my family or guests.

For this particular tart, I used frozen blackberries, sugar, and flour to make a filling, which I pre-cooked in the microwave and allowed to cool a few minutes before spooning onto the dough circle.

With a crust loosely-formed on the baking sheet, the filling does have a tendency to ooze out. For that reason, I find it very helpful to use a thickened pie filling and an extra-large baking sheet (more room for the oozing filling). 

Imperfections are part of the charm of a rustic tart. Just the same, I find a light sprinkling of confectioner's sugar adds a bit of polish to its appearance.

In years that I have a lot of baking apples from our trees, I love making rustic apple pies. We think these make awesome breakfast pies, like Pop-Tarts but significantly better.


Do you use an off-set spatula? The blade on an off-set spatula is angled down from the handle just before its full length. They're handy for smoothing the icing on the tops and sides of a cake. In addition, I use mine for getting under a large, flat baked good to transfer it to a serving dish. I also use it as the serving tool for narrow items like the slices of this fruit tart. If you don't know what these are by name, below is what an off-set spatula looks like. You may have seen these before. (paid link)




You'll find this post, and many others like it, just a click away on this page -- a compilation of my recipes, shopping lists, and menu plans that illustrates how I feed my family of 4 adults on $125 to $135 per month.

10 comments:

  1. Lili, just wanted to let you know I made the cabbage patch soup and it was delicious. I used celery, carrots, onions, cabbage, 3 links of Italian sausage, barley, and about 1/2 c. of Ragu because I can't find a tomato paste without citric acid. I made something similar but without the cabbage before but that shredded cabbage really made the soup. My husband agreed it was very good and with be lunch tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks beautiful. I like the rustic look. I'm sure your guests loved it too.
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cheryl said...
    Lili, just wanted to let you know I made the cabbage patch soup and it was delicious. I used celery, carrots, onions, cabbage, 3 links of Italian sausage, barley, and about 1/2 c. of Ragu because I can't find a tomato paste without citric acid. I made something similar but without the cabbage before but that shredded cabbage really made the soup. My husband agreed it was very good and with be lunch tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe.


    Hi Cheryl,
    Thank you for the feedback. I am so glad that you liked the soup. I really think the cabbage adds a flavor and texture twist that's makes it so good. Italian sausage sounds so tasty and must've added even more flavor! You know, my original "recipe" allowed for marinara sauce, so Ragu sounds right in line.

    For anyone wondering what this soup is, here's the link -- Cabbage Patch Soup

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anne in the kitchen said...
    That is a lovely dessert


    Thank you, Anne.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LindaJimLevitt said...
    That looks beautiful. I like the rustic look. I'm sure your guests loved it too.
    Linda


    Thank you, Linda. I think my guests enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I never thought about a rustic tart before. A little easier than rolling out dough for a two crust pie. I think this will be my go to now because of ease.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Live and Learn said...
    I never thought about a rustic tart before. A little easier than rolling out dough for a two crust pie. I think this will be my go to now because of ease.


    Hi live and learn,
    I find this method to be so much simpler than standard 2 crust pies. It's all those little details, like trimming off the overhang and crimping the edges that make the process of making a pie sound like more work than I might have time or energy for. If you have apple pie-lovers in your house, this is so good as a rustic apple pie. I made those for breakfasts for my kids and husband for many years. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That looks "fabulous" (stealing your words). Seriously, we have a stand at our farmer's market that sells pastries that look just like this for $15! Kudos to you. A high-end knock-off for a fraction of the price. Am I right?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sheri said...
    That looks "fabulous" (stealing your words). Seriously, we have a stand at our farmer's market that sells pastries that look just like this for $15! Kudos to you. A high-end knock-off for a fraction of the price. Am I right?


    Thank you, Sheri. And yes, you're right. Something like this would sell for many times what it actually costs to make.

    ReplyDelete

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