As the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival drew to a close, I realized how engaging good movies can be. Why limit this experience to once a year when you can easily do it in the ambiance of your own home?
Favorite films and fresh fruit desserts make a perfect combination for a summer evening gathering. Rent classics, contemporary or foreign films, invite a few good friends and keep the popcorn coming. Create the climax of the evening with an all-star cast of fabulous fruit tarts, featuring luscious berries and sumptuous stone fruit supported by a sweet pastry crust and luxuriously rich pastry cream filling. A melted jelly fruit glaze gives these gorgeous technicolor tarts true Hollywood glitz and glitter.
The fruit tarts below capture the flavor of summer and are natural for warm-weather entertaining. The master recipe here will get you started: You can vary the fruits according to the two recipes that follow, or use them as an inspiration for your own combinations.
Master Recipe for Fruit Tarts
Pastry Cream
2 1/2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. liqueur
2 Tbs. butter
Pastry | Makes 1 10-inch tart or 6 individual tarts
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. chilled butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
water, if needed
Glaze
1 cup apricot preserves or red currant jelly
1 Tbs. water
To make pastry cream: Combine flour, sugar and salt in heavy saucepan. Beat in egg yolks. Gradually whisk in milk. Whisk over low heat until mixture is thick, about 3 minutes. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, liqueur and butter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
To make pastry: Combine flour, sugar and salt in bowl or food processor. Add butter and process or mix until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and process or mix until dough holds together. If dough is too dry add up to 3 tablespoons water. Form into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 20 minutes before rolling.
Roll out dough to measure about 1 1/2 inches larger than desired removable bottom tart pan. Press dough into pan. A fraction of an inch should extend at the rim. Roll the rolling pin across the top to cut off excess dough. Chill at least 15 minutes or overnight.
Line tart with foil and fill with beans or pie weights. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake another 10 minutes until dry and lightly browned. Remove and let cool.
To make glaze: Heat preserves or jelly with water until liquid. Pass through strainer.
Plum and Nectarine Tart
4 nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced
8 plums, pitted and thinly sliced
Make apricot glaze, pastry cream and pastry using a 9-inch square tart pan. Fill baked tart shell with pastry cream. Arrange alternating diagonal rows of overlapping nectarine and plum slices. Brush fruit with apricot glaze.
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Tartlettes
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
4 oz. unsalted butter
Make pastry cream and pastry according to master recipe to fit six 4-inch individual tartlette pans.
Melt chocolate and butter. Fill tartlettes with pastry cream. Brush rims of tartlettes with chocolate. Dip strawberries halfway into chocolate and place on rack to set. Arrange strawberries on top of pastry cream with tips pointing up.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Rebecca Ets-Hokin. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].