I may not be the biggest sweets person on the planet, but man do I like making pretty desserts. It’s so fun to just zone out and only focus on getting the lattice on your blackberry pie juuuust right or getting the perfect char on your crème brûlée.
It’s a blessing to take some time away from the hustle and bustle that tends to be savory cooking to sit down (a godsend in and of itself for my feet) and get really particular about the placement of my basil blossoms on a dessert. My attention span definitely couldn’t do this all day, but for an hour or so makes for a nice respite from the hot stovetop and the sizzling Duck Confit that I was making last night.
I stumbled on a recipe for a similar looking apple tart on my beloved Pinterest and have been dying to make it this week. I also was faced with the dilemma of having a few ripe mangoes sitting in my fruit bowl that I wanted to put to good use. I decided to split the difference and use mangoes in the same way that this recipe used apples. The result was a delicately sweet and slightly tangy dessert that made it difficult to stop at just one slice. I’m already eyeing the leftovers in the fridge as I type this…
I adapted this recipe from Just a Taste.
Serves 8.
Ingredient List:
for the crust:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, cold
for the filling:
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 large mangoes
- fresh mint (optional)
Kitchen Tools:
food processor, whisk, small saucepan, 9″ springform tart pan, nonstick spray, pastry brush
Prep Work:
Pulse flour, salt, and powdered sugar in your food processor. Cube cold butter and pulse until it’s in pieces smaller than a pea. Spray your springform pan with nonstick spray and press dough in it to form the crust. Make the sides about an inch high at most. Place in refrigerator and let chill for at least an hour (or about 15 minutes in your freezer).
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 425*F. Whisk egg yolks in a mixing bowl with sugar. Sprinkle in flour and corn starch and whisk until smooth. Heat milk in saucepan on medium heat until it begins to foam. Slowly pour milk into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour mixture back into saucepan and lower heat to low. Whisk constantly until mixture begins to thicken. If you start to get chunks, pull the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth. You don’t want to make scrambled eggs! Place finished custard in a bowl, cover with saran wrap, and put in the fridge.
Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of your tart crust so that any potential air can escape. Place tart crust in oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Use a sharp knife to trim crust to an evenly flat shape (optional).
While crust is baking, peel and slice mangoes into thin strips. Remove crust from oven and let cool either at room temp or pop it in the fridge.
Assembly:
Once your crust has cooled, remove it from the springform pan and scoop your custard into it. Use a spatula to evenly spread the custard. Starting at the outer edges, arrange mango slices in an overlapping pattern and work your way towards the middle. Garnish with fresh mint for some color.
Tips + Tricks:
*for the mango petals, slice mango in half lengthwise and carefully remove the pit with a paring knife. Peel off skin. Place mango flat side down on your cutting board and slice widthwise into thin strips.
*use the larger slices on the outer edges of the tarts and get smaller as you work your way toward the middle.
