Pastry Cream and Fresh Fruit Tart from Miette | Bake the Book

Summer fruit season has a notoriously slow build up. First come the late spring strawberries and then a few weeks later some cherries and and perhaps even a few raspberries. But once the season gets going there's a magical influx of peaches and plums and blackberries and blueberries that doesn't let up until the fall.

ThisPastry Cream and Fresh Fruit TartfromMiettebakery in San Francisco is a dessert that will serve you well throughout many summers worth of fruits. The basic formula begins with a richPâte Sucrée, a buttery pastry that lies somewhere in between pie crust and shortbread. Pressed into a fluted tart pan, the pâte sucrée is baked, cooled, and spread with custardy vanillaPastry Cream, chilled again and finished with whichever summer fruit you please.

When it comes to choosing fruit, berries are the go-to for tarts like this but later in the summer, stone fruits like sliced plums and apricots or ripe figs are really fantastic as well.