Ruffled Phyllo Tart with Spring Fruit
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Ruffled phyllo tart packed with rhubarb, apricots, and strawberries under shattery, golden layers. A crisp, elegant spring dessert that looks like a bakery showpiece with half the butter.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
70 minREADY
170 minThis spring fruit tart earns its looks from the phyllo. Nine sheets brushed with a canola-butter mix and layered at 45° angles create a ruffled border around the edge of the pan that shatters into golden shards when you cut in. Breadcrumbs sprinkled between layers absorb juice from the filling so the crust stays crisp instead of soggy.
The filling leans on rhubarb to bring tartness, which you cook down first until juicy before thickening with a cornstarch slurry. Ripe apricots and strawberries go in raw so they hold shape and release their own juice in the oven.
Keep the phyllo covered with plastic and a damp towel while you work. Dried-out phyllo crumbles instead of folds, and that ruffled edge depends on pliable sheets.
Pro Tips
- Work fast with phyllo and keep unused sheets covered. A 30-second exposure is enough to crack them.
- Dampen your pastry brush with water first so you use less oil-butter per sheet and it spreads evenly.
- Cut 4 vent slits in the top so steam escapes and the crust crisps instead of steams.
- Cool a full 1½ hours before slicing. Warm filling runs; cooled filling sets into proper tart slices.
Variations
- Swap strawberries for raspberries or add a handful of blueberries.
- Use peaches and blackberries in late summer when apricots are done.
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or a splash of Grand Marnier to the filling for depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
To prepare filling:
Combine ½ cup sugar, honey and rhubarb in a large saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the rhubarb is juicy and softens slightly, about 5 minutes.
Increase heat to medium; gradually add the cornstarch mixture.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the juices thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.
Combine apricots, strawberries, orange zest and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Mix in the rhubarb.
To prepare crust & bake tart:
Mix oil and butter in a small bowl.
Cover phyllo with wax paper or plastic wrap and a slightly damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
Center one sheet of phyllo in the pie pan, letting the edges hang over; gently press it into the pan.
Dampen a pastry brush with water and lightly brush some of the oil-butter mixture over the phyllo.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon breadcrumbs over the bottom. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo, laying each at a 45° angle to the previous one and sprinkling each with breadcrumbs.
Scrape the filling into the crust.
Brush one of the remaining phyllo sheets with oil-butter mixture.
Place another sheet on top at a 45° angle.
Repeat with the last sheet.
Place the stack on the filling.
Fold the overhanging phyllo up around the tart, creating a ruffled border.
Dab any remaining oil-butter mixture on top.
Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.
Cut 4 slits in the center for venting.
Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake until nicely browned and bubbling slightly, 45 to 55 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack to room temperature (about 1½ hours).
Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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