Vegan Fruit Tart

Spring has finally come and the pear blossoms outside my house inspired me to make something fruity, colorful and, well… spring-y.  This tart is light, refreshing and, most importantly, vegan!  I’ve always thought that fruit tarts are prettier than they taste, but the crumbly, buttery shortbread paired with the subtly sweet jelly filling was exactly what I craved when I made this.  From the picture you can see that I used kiwis, strawberries and raspberries, but I’m sure mango, blueberries or ripe peaches would be beautiful as well.  This one is best eaten during a picnic with best friends.

Vegan Fruit Tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2-3 tablespoon cold water

Custard
3 tablespoons custard powder or cornstarch
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 cup dairy free creamer or non-dairy milk

To make the crust, combine all ingredients except water in a food processor until well incorporated. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms.( Alternatively, mix ingredients by hand, adding water once the dough has a crumbly texture.)  Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or as long as 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thin and press into tart or springform pan. Puncture crust with a fork multiple times to prevent bubbling. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden.

While the crust is baking, make the custard.

Mix custard powder or cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of the creamer/milk and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir with a fork until no lumps remain. You can also press this mixture through a mesh strainer to ensure the custard comes out smooth.Heat remaining milk/creamer on the stove top, almost to a boil. Pour hot milk over the cornflour mixture and stir.Return custard mixture to the pot and continue to cook over medium-low heat for about five minutes, stirring continuously, until thickened. It will take a few minutes to start to thicken up, but once it does the custard thickens very quickly.

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before pouring into the prebaked crust.

Finally, top the tart with the fresh fruit of your choice, sliced up carefully.

Recipe from Heart via Stomach

Picture by my other housemate, Sarah- check out her blog!

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