Brown Butter Fruit Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Dough: Combine flour, sugar, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the butter and dry ingredients form a coarse cornmeal consistency, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, combine the flour, sugar, and butter in a large bowl and, with your fingertips or pastry cutter, crumble into a coarse cornmeal consistency.
• Whisk the egg yolks and cream together in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture; mix on low until large chunks form. Turn the dough onto a flat, clean work surface dusted with flour. Press the dough with the heel of your hand and gather the pieces together to bring the dough into a ball. Knead the dough a few more minutes, form it into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. This dough makes enough for two 10-inch tarts. (Note: The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Before using, defrost overnight in the refrigerator.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat and butter the inside of the tart ring. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut it in half; reserve one half for later use. Cut the dough into large chunks. Pound the dough with a rolling pin and then knead it a few times to temper the dough to the consistency of Play-Doh. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and pound the dough into a large disc, about ¼-inch thick. Roll the dough out to at least 2 inches larger than the ring to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Place the tart ring on top and trim the dough so that 2 inches remain around it. (Discard or reuse the excess dough scraps as cookie dough, etc.) Brush off the extra flour from the dough. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and ease it into the tart ring. Dip the knuckle of your index finger in flour and press the dough into the crease with your knuckle so you have a straight edge, not sloping sides. Don''t stretch the dough to fit, because it will shrink during baking. Roll your rolling pin over the top of the tart ring to neatly cut off the excess dough; pull off the trimmed dough and discard. Place the tart shell in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to one day.
• Custard: Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until smooth; then add the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. Using a small, sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape out the pulp and seeds and smear them on the butter. Add the butter, vanilla pulp and seeds, and vanilla bean to a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over high heat until the butter is brown and foamy. Continue cooking the butter until it is dark brown and gives off a nutty aroma. Pour the butter in a slow, steady stream into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Remove vanilla bean. (Note: The filling can be prepared up to 10 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Just before using, bring it to room temperature until it is a spreadable consistency.)
• Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 F. Remove the prepared tart shell from the refrigerator. Spoon the filling about halfway up the tart and spread evenly. Sprinkle ½ cup berries on top of the custard. Bake the tart until the top is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes if you are using an 8-inch ring or 45 minutes if you are using a 10-inch ring. Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool completely, or for at least 2 hours.
• To make the topping, set a colander inside a bowl; place 1½ cups blueberries into a second bowl. Bring sugar syrup to a boil, then pour over berries. Toss gently with a spoon to coat the berries, then immediately drain into the colander. To remove the tart from the baking sheet, slip a cardboard round under the crust and carefully slide the tart onto it, leaving the ring in place. Slide the tart onto a serving plate and remove the cardboard and the ring. Pile the blueberries on top of the tart. Immediately before serving, dust with confectioners sugar.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Coat tart pan with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix butter, sugar, and salt until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Add egg, cream, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add flour all at once and beat until dough almost comes together. Turn dough out onto a work surface. Knead until dough just comes together, 4-5 times. Divide dough in half; form each half into a smooth ball. Flatten into disks and wrap each disk tightly in plastic. Chill 1 disk overnight; freeze second disk for another use.
• Roll out chilled dough disk between two sheets of plastic wrap, lifting and adjusting plastic as needed, until 1/8" thick and 2" wider than tart pan. Transfer dough in plastic wrap to a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes.
• Remove top piece of plastic from dough. Invert dough into tart pan; press onto bottom and up sides. If dough is soft, chill until firm enough for remaining sheet of plastic to be removed. Trim edges of dough (patch up any holes or tears with extra dough). Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line dough with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, leaving a 1"-2" overhang. Fill paper with dried beans or pie weights. Bake tart shell just until dough has dried and does not look wet in any spots, about 20 minutes. (If center still looks wet, bake crust without weights until dried and opaque, a few minutes longer.)
• For filling and assembly:
• Whisk eggs and sugar in a medium bowl just to blend. Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (do not burn), about 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes; remove bean. Slowly whisk brown butter into egg mixture; whisk in flour and salt.
• Line tart shell with apples.4 Pour filling over (if using rectangular pan, you may have 1/2 cup excess filling). Bake until apples are deep golden brown and filling is puffed, cracked, and set in center, 70-80 minutes.
• Let tart cool in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.