Gluten-Free Fruit Tart

Andronico's Ingredients for classic French gluten-free fruit tart

Bay Area folks can grab everything you need for this tart in one stop at your local Andronico's Community Market - they carry everything from a wide variety of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flours to organic milk and butter. This simple almond flour fruit tart highlights one of the things Andronico's does best, though: the season's sweetest organic fruit. I've used a mix of summer's prized berries, but you can swap in whatever seasonal fruit inspires you!

Here's a list of all the recipes I've made in partnership with Andronico's this past year.

For this gluten-free tart crust, you'll need: 

• Super-fine blanched almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Tapioca flour
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Egg yolk

For the pastry cream and fruit filling, you'll need:

• Whole milk
• Vanilla bean, vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
• Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter
• Fresh fruit

How to make a fruit tart:

The key to whipping this tart up swiftly is all in the timing and order of each step, so there's no wasted waiting time.  

1. Make the gluten-free shortbread crust: Start by mixing together the crust and pressing it into the tart pan. Toss it in the freezer to chill while you...
2. Make the pastry cream: Steep the vanilla bean and milk. While steeping, prepare the ice bath, then whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks with the warm milk, before whisking it all together and cooking until thickened. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and rest in the ice bath to chill while you...
3. Bake the tart crust: Bake the crust until lightly golden brown, then let it cool completely.
4. Assemble: Spread the cooled pastry cream over the cooled tart crust, and generously top with fruit.
5. Glaze tart: Brush fruit with apricot glaze.
6. Chill: Chill the tart until ready to serve.

Flours for gluten-free tart crust

The crust for this gluten-free tart is based on a classic "pâte sablée" that is enriched with egg yolk. Pâte sablée translates to "sandy dough." Rather than flaking like pie crust, this buttery pastry crust is crisp and tender with a sweetened shortbread cookie-like texture. It's sturdy enough to hold a filling, but crumbles and melts in your mouth. 

Made of a mix of almond, coconut, and tapioca flours, this gluten-free tart crust version also happens to be grain-free. 

• Super-fine Blanched Almond Flour is a high-protein flour that helps hold the dough together, while also browning and crisping up when baked, for a shortbread texture. 
• Coconut Flour soaks up moisture when it bakes, leaving a melt-in-your-mouth soft texture and a subtle sweetness. 
• Tapioca Flour is the sticky glue that holds it all together. It fluffs up as it bakes, thickening the crust walls, while binding with the butter and sugar to create a sturdy crust that holds together when cooled. 

How to make gluten-free tart crust

1. Mix. In stand mixer with paddle or food processor, mix dry ingredients then mix in the cold cubed butter and vanilla. At first, it'll look sandy like it will never turn into a dough, but carry on and it will begin to clump together. Add the egg yolk and mix until it evenly incorporates and the dough clumps together. 

2. Press. Press ½ the dough up the sides of the pan about ⅛ - ¼-inch thick, squaring off the top edges. Press the remaining dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan, flattening the dough with the bottom of a flat cup.
3. Freeze. Prick the bottom all over with a fork and the freeze until firm.

4. Bake. If you notice the top edge getting too dark, you can cover the edge with a pie shield or create your own with a round of crumbled foil. 
5. Press down the crust. Immediately use the bottom of a flat cup or the back of a spoon to press the crust against the edges and down in the center. This will help create structure as it cools so do not skip this step.
6. Optional, sprinkle with finely chopped white chocolate. If you're planning to assemble the tart several hours or a day in advance, create a moisture barrier with white chocolate to ensure the crust stays crisp. See below.

What kind of pan for a tart?

To make this almond flour tart crust, you'll need a 9-inch tart pan. I recommend using a non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom to make it easy to remove the tart from the pan. 

This crust has so much butter in it, that it's not necessary to butter the pan. However, if your tart pan is not non-stick, or you have noticed your tart pan is prone to sticking, you may want to line the bottom with a round of parchment paper or butter the pan. 

If you don't have a tart pan, no fear! You can also use a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the crust about 1 inch up the sides. 

Tip: Removing the tart from the pan

You can remove the tart from the pan as soon as it is completely cool. However, if you're new to tart making, I recommend filling the tart before removing it from the pan to reduce your risk of cracking the crust, using the pastry cream to help hold it all together. 

Remove the tart from the pan before chilling, however, or the chilled butter will make it more difficult to remove it from the pan.

To remove the tart from the pan, slide a thin knife along the bottom edge where the removable bottom meets the side ring and gently tilt the knife to pop the tart out of the pan. Then slide a thin knife or long offset spatula under the tart to pop it off the base.

How to make pastry cream

The pastry cream for this classic tart is a pudding-like custard also called crême pâtissière. It's the same cream used for eclairs. (Stay tuned for that recipe soon!).

1. Steep milk and vanilla bean. Note: if using the vanilla extract or paste, don't add it at this step. Instead, just heat the milk and skip to the tempering step.
2. Prepare an ice bath.

3. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until pale yellow and smooth. Tip: place the bowl on a kitchen towel to help keep it still while you whisk. At first, it'll look dark yellow and clumpy, but persist and it'll become smooth and pale. 

4. Temper the egg yolks. While constantly whisking, slowly pour about ¼ cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. This tempers the eggs to keep them from scrambling. Slowly pour the rest of the hot milk into the egg yolks, whisking until smooth.
5. Cook the cream into a pudding. Return to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until the pastry cream begins to boil (stop whisking every 30 seconds to check for bubbles). Cook, whisking, for just 1 minute longer, until thickened to a pudding-like consistency.
6. Stir in butter. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until smooth.
7. Strain. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl to remove any clumps.
8. Transfer to ice bath. Press plastic wrap directly over the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place the bottom of the bowl into the prepared ice bath and let cool completely. 

What kind of fruit for a fruit tart?

This gluten-free fruit tart is versatile with the seasons. While I used piles of mixed berries, many traditional french fruit tarts use a variety of fruit! Here are some options:

• Mixed berries: strawberries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries.
• Stone fruit: plums, nectarines, apricots, peaches
• Citrus: mandarin wedges, oranges, grapefruit
• Tropical fruit: mango, kiwi, star fruit, pineapple, bananas
• The sky's the limit! Try currants, grapes, pomegranate

Apricot Fruit Glaze

Brushing the fruit with an apricot glaze will make your fruit glisten like that in a French pastry shop window. The glaze also keeps the fruit fresh while it chills, so it doesn't dry out. 

Simply warm a bit of apricot jam or preserves, then whisk in a little bit of water to thin it out. Strain and press it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunky bits then carefully brush it over the fruit. 

You can sub in any other light-colored jam, such as apple jam. Berry jam works too, but your fruit may be slightly tinted pink. 

Making mini fruit tarts

This tart can also be baked in mini tart pans for individual servings. The same recipe will make four 4-inch mini tarts. You'll follow the recipe the exact same way, but bake the crusts for about 5 minutes less. 

How to store gluten-free fruit tart

With a creamy filling, this gluten-free berry tart is best served the day it's assembled, as the longer it sits, the moisture from the filling will begin to soften the crust. If you'd like to make the tart a day or two in advance, see the section below.

That being said, leftovers are still very delicious! Cover and store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Make ahead gluten-free fruit tart

Perhaps one of the best parts of this recipe is the ability to make some of all of it in advance! Here are some options for making it in advance: 

• Prepare pastry cream: Prepare the pastry cream up to the step you press plastic wrap directly to the surface and chill it for up to 4 days in advance. 
• Prepare and chill the tart dough: Prepare the tart crust up to the step where you prick it with a fork. At this point, cover the tart dough completely with plastic wrap and then freeze it for up to 2 weeks in advance. Bake it straight from the freezer, as directed. This is my recommended method if making more than a day in advance for the freshest crust!
• Store fully baked tart crust: You can bake the tart crust up to 2 days in advance. Once cooled, cover it and store in the fridge for up to two days. 
• Store fully assembled gluten-free tart: If you're making this tart the day before, you'll want to add a moisture barrier to keep the pastry cream from softening the crust. Sprinkle 1.5 ounces of finely chopped white chocolate in the warm tart and let it sit for several minutes to melt before spreading it with an offset spatula or spoon into an even later. Let cool and harden completely before adding the pastry cream and fruit. Store uncovered in the fridge for up to a day. 

Recipes to use up egg whites

• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
• Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons
• Mini Pavlova Cakes
• Matcha Macarons
• Peppermint Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies