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A vegan fruit tart semi center of the image with a slice cut out. A small plate with the slice in the upper left corner. A ornate silver serving spatula in the lower left corner

Vegan Fruit Tart

This recipe makes a lovely vegan fruit tart, but more than that, it provides a versatile vegan tart base that can be used for other desserts as well as a vegan custard that can also be used in other desserts. I found this recipe on the Hidden Veggies site, it's a keeper!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Assembly 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 284 kcal

Ingredients
  

Custard

  • 1 vegan egg
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp plant-based butter
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)

Tart Base

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ¼ cup sugar

Toppings

  • 2 cups fruit or berries of choice washed and sliced as needed
  • ⅓ cup apricot jelly

Instructions
 

Custard

  • Make the vegan egg first. See notes.
  • Sift corn starch into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. (Sifting will help avoid lumps.) Add sugar, salt, and slowly pour in 1/4 cup of cold plant-based milk and stir well with a whisk until all of the lumps are gone and the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Then stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cold plant-based milk.
  • Turn on the heat to medium and stir frequently with a whisk. As it starts to boil slowly, stir constantly. Once the mixture has boiled slowly for about 30 seconds, slowly add the vegan egg while continuing to stir with the whisk. Once all of the "egg" has been added, simmer at a low boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
  • Remove the custard from the heat and add plant-based butter and vanilla extract and stir well until they are incorporated. Then add the lemon zest.
  • Pour the custard into a bowl and lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly over it so that no air is touching it. (This will prevent it from getting a skin on top.) Chill the custard for at least 4 hours before using it as pastry cream in the tart.

Tart Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
  • Mix together flour, softened plant-based butter, and sugar until you have a thick smooth dough.
  • Press the dough into a smooth even layer on the bottom and up the edges of a tart pan.
  • Bake the shortbread for 30 minutes at 350° F (176° C). Remove from oven and let it cool at room temperature.

Assembly

  • Fill the cooled shortbread crust with the chilled pastry cream spreading it out in a smooth even layer.
  • Top the pastry cream with fruit and berries of your choice. You can make an even pattern or disperse the fruit randomly.
  • Microwave apricot jelly for 30 seconds to melt it and then brush it on top of the fruit for a shiny glaze if desired. (or heat on stovetop in a small pan)
  • Place the tart in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to serve.

Notes

For the egg, you can use any of the available powdered egg replacement products. For this recipe, I used Egg Replacer from rawgoods. The original recipe uses 1.5 Tbsp of chickpea flour mixed with 1.5 Tbsp water. I couldn't find chickpea flour so I used this powdered one that is made primarily with tapioca starch and arrowroot flour. I would not use flax seed or chia seed eggs as those will make the pastry a bit gritty
Keyword dairy-free, dessert, fruit, vegan, vegetarian