Ingredients
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
- 1 recipe Pastry cream (recipe to follow main recipe)
- 3 oz dark (bittersweet) chocolate, melted- I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao
- 2 c strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3 whole kiwi's, peeled, sliced down center and sliced into 1/2 circles
- 1/2 c blackberries
- 1/2 c blueberries
- 1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves, heated in microwave for 15-20 seconds with 1 tsp of water
- Pastry Cream
- 1 c whole milk
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1/2 of a vanilla bean, split down center
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 Tbs flour
- 2 Tbs unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
Preparation
Step 1
Place a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom onto a baking sheet. Carefully drape puff pastry into pan, cutting off excess at top. Dock the bottom of pastry. Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 400F, until pastry has risen slightly and is flaky. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
With an offset spatula, spread melted dark chocolate to within an inch of edge of pastry. Let cool.
Again with offset spatula, cover cooled chocolate with cooled pastry cream (recipe below).
In a decorative pattern, place sliced fruit on top of pastry. Brush fruit with blackberry preserves. Chill completely in refrigerator before serving. Serves 6 to 8.
Pastry Cream
In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and half of the sugar and whisk until the mixture turns a light yellow. Then add the flour and salt, mixing well. Set aside.
In a 2 qt saucepan place other half of the sugar, milk and vanilla bean on medium heat. When mixture begins to simmer well, take off of heat and carefully remove vanilla bean (dry and save for another use, such as vanilla sugar).
Very carefully and slowly add a small amount, about a cup, of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, constantly stirring, to temper the eggs making sure not to scramble. Once combined, add egg and milk mixture back to the pan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly, making sure nothing sticks to bottom of pan. Bring mixture to the boil for about one minute, until mixture thickens. Turn off heat and add butter.
Place into a shallow pan to cool and cover with saran wrap so that a skin does not form.