This dessert is all about the fresh fruit, so you want to make sure you’re using fruit that is ripe and delicious. Summer is an ideal time because of the abundance of fruit options, but I have also made this dessert in the winter with more tropical fruit options. I would recommend using whatever fruit is in season and ripe. I’ve made this tart many times with fruits ranging from strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, and mangos. In the tart pictured, I used mango, strawberries, and blackberries.

The components for this dessert can be made ahead of time, so day-of can be a fairly simple process of assembling. While the tart dough can be made and frozen ahead of time, I would still bake it the day you plan on serving the tart, so that the shell is fresh.

This dessert can be made in either a 9-inch, 6-inch, or individual sized tart pans. To serve 4 people, I prefer the 6-inch tart. You will have some leftover pastry cream but it is delicious eaten with any leftover fruit.

Fresh Fruit Tart

1 fully baked tart shell, cooled but still in tart ring

Pastry cream, chilled

Fresh fruit

Optional: simple syrup (see note)

Spread the pastry cream out evenly in the tart shell, leaving about a ⅛- ¼ inch gap at the top. Decoratively arrange fruit on top of the pastry cream. Fresh fruit tarts should invoke abundance, so layer, overlap, and mound the fruit as appropriate. At this point the tart can either be served or chilled in the fridge to be served later that day. Remove from tart ring before slicing.

Optional: Simple syrup or warmed red currant or apricot jelly can be brushed onto the fruit after the tart has been assembled to give an added glossy look. This can be nice if you want to give the dessert a fancier, polished look. I generally don’t because I find the appearance of just the fresh fruit more appetizing and since I’m using fruit that is very ripe, I don’t want to make the tart any sweeter. But traditionally, fresh fruit tarts have some sort of finishing glaze.

To make simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and stir to ensure that all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool before using.