Fruit Tart

My sister hates my baking. Not because she thinks it tastes bad. No, she enjoys eating it a lot. She doesn't mind that part. She just hates the attention that I get for it.

We have the typical brother-sister relationship. She is a year older than me and we still fight and argue over everything. I was always jealous because of her athleticism, she for my scholasticism. And now, for my baking.

Although I must say, she has become the family pro of making some scrumptious and juicy gulab jamun--a staple Indian dessert. They are not easy to make--I have had my share of unsuccessful attempts to make them. Hopefully one day, when I finally convince her to give me the recipe, I can share it with you all!

But despite our bickering, I always wanted to make something amazing for my sister. She loves brownies, cookies, ice cream, basically anything with chocolate. However, her ultimate favorite dessert, and really her weakness, is the fruit tart!

I don't really understand why she likes it so much, but then again, no one in my family understands my love for Tiramisu.

But this recipe holds a fond memory. It was my sister's birthday! She hit the big 20. I wanted to get her something really special but just could not figure out what! After days of research, I knew I wanted to get her something funny, yet useful. Something that she would love, but also cherish. And as stupid as it sounds, I got her a mini omelet pan with a penguin as a handle!

Why? Well it was funny and useful! Every morning before my sister heads out for work, she makes herself a copy-cat DD egg sandwich. We only have regular sized frying pans in the house, so her omelet never fits the round Arnold sandwich thins. Its a real dilemma if you know what I mean. And thanks to me, she never has to worry about an oversized omelet for an undersized bread anymore!

And on a side not, I also got her a Vera Bradley bag...

Aren't I the best brother ever?

To top it all off, I made her a fruit tart! This was no easy task. For starters, I did not have a tart pan, I never made any form of a tart before, and I really wanted my sister to like it.

I ventured out and compared different recipes until I came across Joy of Baking's. Not only did it seem like the most reliable recipe, but it also had a video to go along with it!

Now as you can probably see in the picture, I made this tart in a 9" cake pan, not a tart pan. I made sure I buttered and floured the pan real well and had absolutely no difficulties removing the tart.

The pastry cream was wonderfully luscious, although my family recommended adding more sugar into it next time. So perhaps instead of just 1/4 cup, I will boost it to 1/2 cup of sugar.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Here is a link to the recipe: Joy of Baking Fruit Tart