Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts with Yogurt Pastry Cream
Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts filled with a simple coconut yogurt pastry cream are the epitome of ease and elegance! The homemade pastry cream and tart shells can be made in advance, perfect for entertaining!
Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts filled with a simple coconut yogurt pastry cream are the epitome of ease and elegance! The homemade pastry cream and tart shells can be made in advance, perfect for entertaining!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stonyfield Organic. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’m willing to bet that if I were to open your fridge, it would probably look a lot like mine. There would be several varieties of milk (dairy and non-dairy), a handful of carrots, a tray of eggs, assorted jars of condiments (some with questionable expiration dates), and cartons of yogurt.
And if you have little kids, you probably don’t just have cartons of yogurts, there are probably squeeze tubes and little single-serving kinds, too.
Am I right?
Yogurt is one of those refrigerator staples, not just for snacking but for its versatility in cooking and baking! Sometimes I forget just how much I use yogurt, but if you’ve been cooking with me for a while, then perhaps you already know! Maybe you’ve made my Butternut Squash Butter Chicken, Meyer Lemon, and Honey Lassi, or Blackberry Yogurt Muffins (just to name a few). Whether it’s sweet or savory, I love how yogurt adds so much creaminess to a dish, tenderizes meat, makes baked goods moist and fluffy, and more!
Well, the other day, I was at my local bakery, eying all the gorgeous fruit tarts, and I had the incredible urge to work with pastry cream. I’ve always made pastry cream with milk, but I was curious how yogurt would do, especially after an inspiring visit to Stonyfield Organic in Vermont.
I’m happy to report that it works beautifully.
Stonyfield Farm Tour
I flew into Burlington in the cloak of darkness, the quaint New England town colored only by memories of my last visit, many years ago. As I stepped out of my car from the airport, I was greeted by the whisper of trees and the familiar scent of fresh New England grass, and I smiled. Here, even in darkness, was the New England summer I missed so much!
When I awoke, I opened my window shades to reveal lush greenness for as far as my eyes could see, and I greedily soaked it all in. The grass, the trees, the wildflowers – I suddenly felt very distant from my home in summer-parched California. My eyes were soothed in an instant by all the green.
Those green fields are the home of some very important ladies – the cows who make Stonyfield Organic dairy so delicious. And, of course, we can’t forget the family of farmers who work so hard to ensure every cow is happy and healthy.
My affinity for Stonyfield cows goes way back. I’ve always had a love for cows! When I was in college, my sweet apartment-mates gave me a gift – they adopted a Jersey cow from Stonyfield’s original adopt-a-cow program! Her name was Daisy, and I loved getting photos and letters in the mail with her updates from the farm. You can imagine how thrilled I was to finally visit Stonyfield and have the chance to possibly meet Daisy’s descendants — or at least her extended family!
What struck me most about my visit was how Stonyfield Organic’s dedication to organic farming and its impact extend beyond the health and happiness of the cows.
Molly Brook Farm
Family owned and operated since 1835, at Molly Brook Farm, the Jersey cows we met were treated with so much love. Truly, they were part of the family! Myles and Rhonda Goodrich greet each cow by name, and know each cow’s personality and disposition so intimately; you could see how truly healthy and happy their herd was.
They spend their days at pasture, grazing on nutritious, organic grasses. This pasture time is not only good for the cows. It’s also good for the earth and us. They eat a variety of grasses, contribute to soil health, and produce nutritious milk! I love knowing that cows who graze at pasture produce milk with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids!
It’s no wonder Myles and Rhonda were recognized with the 2022 Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year award and received this well-deserved distinction. For them, their cows are part of the family.
Ackerman Farm
Not too far away, at Ackerman Dairy, we were able to appreciate a fascinating contrast and another approach to organic farming by a young family farm that came from 6 generations of conventional farming roots. It was so humbling to hear Sara and Jimmy Ackermann tell us their struggles, commitment, and gratitude to be able to farm organically. 365 days a year, they are working so hard, and it reminded me how easy it is for us as consumers to take farmers for granted.
I wish everyone could appreciate the amount of work they put into growing food for the cows, milking, breeding, and caring for each cow — it is astounding! Just the amount of work that goes into growing and fermenting organic, nutrient-rich grasses is more than enough to tire anyone out, and that is on top of everything else they do to raise their herd of Holsteins.
But I love hearing how their work has paid off and how farming organically has meant having cows who live longer and healthier lives.
DID YOU KNOW?
Holstein cows are the largest dairy breed, while Jerseys are the smallest. Holsteins produce more milk but with less dairy fat. Jersey cows, in comparison, produce creamier milk with more milk fat and protein!
Organic Farming Matters
Organic dairy farming goes beyond herd health! By protecting their animals, it, in turn, protects the humans who consume their milk. Allowing their cows to pasture in fields with organic biodiversity regenerates soil health, lessens carbon, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and more. And our choice to consume organic means that the farmers can remain profitable and create meaningful work for many.
Throughout my visit, I learned so much about how Stonyfield makes its impact by supporting farmers who care for their cows on their organic farms and how it takes a multifaceted approach to be stewards of the land. Chatting with Stonyfield Co-Founder Gary Hirshberg was extremely inspiring. His vision made him a pioneer in organic farming, and 35 years later, he can be so proud of how Stonyfield partners with hundreds of family farms and makes all of their yogurts, smoothies, frozen yogurts, milk and cream without the use of toxic-persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics or GMOs.
How to Make Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts
These puff pastry fruit tarts are equal parts elegance and hominess, just right for a special treat, whether it’s a weeknight dessert or a way to close out a dinner party! The puff pastry tart components can be made in advance, and it really is quite simple.
For the pastry cream, I love Stonyfield Organic Plain Whole Milk yogurt. It’s creamy, tangy, and, as a bonus, full of good-for-you probiotics!
To make the yogurt pastry cream, start by combining the sugar, arrowroot powder, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth and pale yellow in color. If you don’t have arrowroot powder, simply substitute it with cornstarch.
Whisk in the yogurt and coconut extract. I love the coconut flavor of this pastry cream, but you can also use pure vanilla instead. If you can get your hands on coconut extract, use it!
Heat the mixture and whisk it constantly until the pastry cream thickens – this should take about 5 minutes. Once the pastry cream is thickened, continue cooking and whisking for an additional two minutes. Stir in the butter and pass it through a sieve into a bowl.
Immediately cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper. This will prevent a layer of skin from forming on the cream as it cools. Place the bowl into an ice bath and let it cool for 30 minutes. Transfer the bowl from the ice bath to the refrigerator and cool completely or until ready to use.
While the pastry cream cools, make puff pastry tart shells. Cut the pastry into 8 rectangles, about 4×5 inches each. Score a 1/4 inch border with a sharp pairing knife, lightly brush the dough with the egg wash, and bake.
To assemble the puff pastry fruit tarts, use a paring knife to cut the tops of the pastry tart along the scoring and reserve the tops for serving. Pipe the pastry cream into the tarts, top with fresh berries, sprinkle with shredded coconut, and enjoy!
More Yogurt Recipes
Mixed Berry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups
Blackberry Yogurt Muffins
Blueberry Acai Frozen Yogurt
Honeyed Fig Trifle with Goat Cheese Mascarpone Yogurt Cream
Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield Organic. Thank you for supporting brands that matter to me; sponsored posts such as this help behind the scenes at Kitchen Confidante. All opinions in this post are, as always, my own.
Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts with Yogurt Pastry Cream
Ingredients
For the Coconut Yogurt Pastry Cream:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups Stonyfield Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Tart Shells:
- 1 sheet store bought puff pastry dough thawed
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
For the Fruit Tart Toppings:
- 2 cups Fresh assorted berries
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Make the Coconut Yogurt Pastry Cream:
- In a sauce pan, stir the sugar, cornstarch and salt until combined. Whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth and pale yellow in color, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the yogurt and coconut extract.
- Cook the yogurt mixture over low-medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens, abut 5 minutes. Continue to whisk for an additional two minutes.
- Stir in the butter. Strain the pastry cream through a sieve into a bowl and cover surface of the cream with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in an ice bath and let it cool for 30 minutes. Chill the pastry cream in the refrigerator until cold, about two hours, or until ready to use. The pastry cream will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Make the Tart Shells
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Roll the pastry into a 12×15-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry into 8 4×5-inch squares, and score a 1/4 inch border around each square. Place the squares on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and lightly brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool the tart shells completely on a wire rack.
Make the Puff Pastry Fruit Tarts:
- Use a sharp paring knife to score the border and remove the top off the pastry for each tart, reserving the tops for serving.
- Transfer the pastry cream into a decorating bag or resealable bag. Cut the tip off the bag and pipe the pastry cream into the cavity of the tarts. Top with fresh berries and sprinkle with coconut, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
This was very good but the filling was runny. I followed the recipe as written. Any suggestions?
Hi Diane, I’m curious if you used the same brand of whole fat yogurt? I would suggest cooking the cream a little longer than the 5-7 minutes, if you’re having issues. It should thicken up nicely!