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Very berry tart
Photo by Gina Moore
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Preparing a tart crust
You can use a rolling pin to trim the edges of your crust even with the top of the tart pan. See tip below.
Photo by Belinda Smith-Sullivan
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Dried beans as pie weights
Before you blind bake your piecrust, line it with parchment paper and weight it down with dried beans. See tip below.
Photo by Belinda Smith-Sullivan
Serves 8–12
1 9-inch pastry dough or piecrust (homemade or store-bought)
1 4½-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1½ cups heavy cream, whipped
4 cups mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry or apricot jam
2 teaspoons water
Preheat oven to 425 F. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan, and trim the edges flush to the rim. Line the dough shell with parchment or wax paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 12–15 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Take tart pan out of oven long enough to remove the parchment and pie weights, and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes, until the bottom of crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, and let cool.
Whisk together pudding mix and milk; let sit until thickened, about 5 minutes. Fold into whipped cream, and spread evenly into pastry shell. Arrange berries on top.
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat jam and water until melted (or microwave on low in a microwave-safe bowl). Do not let boil. Brush a small amount of melted jam over the tops of the berries—just enough to glaze them with a shiny look. Refrigerate tart until ready to serve.
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Recipe tip
Why blind bake a crust?
Blind baking the crust before adding the filling helps prevent the moisture in your pie filling from making the crust soggy. This works great for one-crust pies and quiches.
A blind bake is simple: Arrange the crust in your pie pan, and crimp the edges. If you are using a tart pan and want to trim the edges even with the pan, arrange the crust in the pan, then roll a rolling pin across the top to cut the edges off evenly. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the crust, and fill the crust with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 15–20 minutes until the edge of the crust starts to brown. Remove from oven, and remove the parchment and beans. Let the crust cool completely before adding your filling.