Flag Berry Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Fill premade miniature tart shells or phyllo cups with sweet mascarpone cream (recipe below), then arrange on a tray and top with blueberries and halved strawberry slices to create stars and stripes.
• Mascarpone Cream:
• Beat an 8-ounce container of mascarpone cheese and 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar with a mixer until smooth. Gently fold in 1/2 cup freshly whipped cream.

Steps:

• To make the tart dough: In a food processor combine the almond meal, flour, confectioners' sugar and salt. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk, process just until the dough comes together. Distribute the dough into the 13-by-4-inch tart pan (or 10-inch round).
• Lay plastic wrap over the dough and press it into the pan so that it is an even thickness. Remove the plastic and freeze the dough until it is firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the dough with foil and fill with pie weights or beans. This will keep the dough from slouching in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and beans, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the crust is a light golden color. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Prepare the pastry cream: Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of sugar. Add the egg yolks to the cornstarch and mix into a smooth paste. Set aside.
• Bring the milk, remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar, vanilla bean, and salt to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Slowly, and in small amounts, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Once the egg mixture is warm to the touch, pour it back into the milk in the pan.
• Bring the custard to a gentle boil, whisking continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. The pastry cream will thicken almost immediately, but it is important to cook the starch until it isn't grainy. When the pastry cream is done it will be smooth and glossy.
• Remove from the heat and add the butter and white chocolate to the pastry cream. Allow to sit for 3 minutes, then gently whisk them together. Pour the pastry cream into a shallow container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Set the container in the freezer for 15 minutes (this cools down the eggs quickly) and then refrigerate for up to a few days.
• Fill the cooled tart shell with the pastry cream. Decorate the top with the berries and refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Make red and white tarts: In a small bowl in the microwave or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, heat chocolate until it is just melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, spread half the chocolate over bottom of each of 2 tart shells; refrigerate to set, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat raspberry jam in a small saucepan with about 1 tablespoon water; strain into a small bowl.
• Remove lined shells from refrigerator. Spread a third of the creme fraiche filling over bottom of each. Arrange red raspberries in rows in a single layer in one tart shell; brush berries with strained jam. Arrange another layer of rows on top; brush with jam. Set aside. Arrange golden raspberries in other shell, and dust with confectioners' sugar to completely coat. Set aside.
• Make blue tart: Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan with about 1 tablespoon water; strain into a medium bowl. Using a pastry brush, thinly coat bottom of tart shell; let cool. Spread remaining creme fraiche filling on top.Toss blueberries with remaining jam; tumble into tart shell. Arrange on a serving tray or board.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disc of pate sucree 1/8 inch thick to fit a 3 3/4-by-13 1/4-inch fluted, rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Carefully transfer dough to tart pan, tuck dough into the edges, gently pressing along sides, and allow excess dough to overhang the edges. Trim the dough by running your rolling pin over the dough against the edges. Gently shape the edges by pressing the length of your forefinger against each flute along the sides. Prick all over the bottom with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chilled tart shells from refrigerator, and line each with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the edges by at least 2 inches. Fill parchment with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until just starting to color, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights from tart shells, and return tart shells to oven. Continue baking until tart bottom is golden, about 20 minutes more. Transfer tart shells to a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. Carefully remove tart shells from pan.
• In a small bowl in the microwave or set over a pan of simmering water, heat chocolate until it is just melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, line each tart shell with chocolate. Refrigerate to set, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat apricot and raspberry jams in two separate saucepans with about 1 tablespoon water in each; strain into separate small bowls.
• Make top tart: Remove one lined tart shell from refrigerator and spread 1/3 of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of unglazed raspberries 2/3 the length of the tart, leaving space between each row and at the top and bottom edges for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners' sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Toss blueberries in a bowl with strained apricot jam. Fill left third of tart shell with a layer of glazed blueberries arranged snugly in rows; top with another layer of blueberries. Toss half the remaining raspberries with the strained raspberry jam, and carefully fill empty rows with some of the glazed raspberries, rinsing your hands as needed.
• Make bottom tart: Remove remaining tart shell from refrigerator, and spread a third of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of remaining unglazed raspberries, starting at the top edge and leaving space between each and at the bottom edge for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners' sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Fill empty rows with remaining glazed raspberries.
• Arrange tarts on a large board or tray to resemble the flag, and serve with remaining creme fraiche filling on the side. Finished tarts will hold at room temperature for several hours.