Black Currant Fruit Tart (Printable Version)

Classic French tart with buttery crust, creamy black currant curd, and fresh berry topping. An elegant dessert for special occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Tart Crust

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water

→ Black Currant Curd

07 - 1 cup fresh or frozen black currants
08 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
09 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
10 - 2 large eggs
11 - 1 large egg yolk
12 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

→ Assembly

13 - 1/2 cup fresh black currants or mixed berries such as raspberries, blueberries, and red currants
14 - Powdered sugar for dusting
15 - Fresh mint leaves for garnish

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt together. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cold water, then pulse until dough just comes together, adding additional water only if necessary.
02 - Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
03 - Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 9-inch tart pan. Press dough into pan and trim edges. Prick base with a fork and chill for 10 minutes. Line tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove weights and parchment. Continue baking for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.
04 - In a saucepan, combine black currants, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until fruit softens and bursts. Purée the mixture and strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove skins and seeds.
05 - Return strained purée to saucepan. Whisk in eggs and egg yolk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 7 to 10 minutes until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil.
06 - Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter until smooth. Pour curd into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes until slightly set.
07 - Spread black currant curd evenly in the cooled tart shell. Arrange fresh berries on top in an attractive pattern. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
08 - Dust tart with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired. Serve chilled.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust is genuinely crisp and melts on your tongue—none of that dense, dry pastry disappointment.
  • Black currant curd is tangy enough to feel sophisticated but sweet enough that everyone actually wants seconds.
  • It looks like something from a fancy bakery but tastes even better because you made it yourself.
02 -
  • Don't skip the chilling time for the dough—I learned this the hard way when I tried to rush and ended up with a crust that shrunk away from the pan edges.
  • When cooking the curd, constant stirring and low heat are not suggestions; high heat will scramble your eggs and there's no recovering from that.
  • A soggy tart shell is the enemy—make sure it's fully cooled and genuinely crisp before adding the curd, or everything slides around like it has no respect for you.
03 -
  • If fresh black currants are impossible to find, frozen ones work perfectly and sometimes taste even more intense because they've been picked at peak ripeness.
  • Make extra curd and keep it in the fridge for stirring into yogurt, spreading on toast, or eating straight from the jar at midnight when no one's watching.
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