Happy Friday! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies. I’m so excited to share these fresh fruit tarts inspired by the film! These Enchanted Rose Strawberry Tarts have a flaky, crispy tart shell filled with a rich pastry cream and are topped with a single strawberry rose!
Fresh fruit tarts are some of my favorite special occasion desserts. I don’t make a lot of them at home as I usually think of them as something I can only get from a bakery. However, these tarts are pretty easy to make as the tart shell is store bought phyllo dough so you only really need to make the pastry cream and cut the strawberries.
Since the pastry cream needs some time to chill, I recommend starting with that. To make the pastry cream, first place a fine mesh sieve in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set aside. Next, combine the milk and vanilla bean seeds or vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the egg and whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, ladle ⅓ of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and continue whisking over medium-high heat until thick. There should be a few slow bubbles in the mixture, but don’t bring it to a full boil.
Remove the mixture from the heat and pour through the sieve. Cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cream is about 140 F. Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and mix into the cream, one at a time, stirring until smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to help it cool quickly and place in the refrigerator.
For the tart shells, I used Apollo Fillo #4 Phyllo Dough sheets. Make sure the phllyo dough is thawed and at room temperature before starting. When you’re ready to make the shells, place one sheet of phyllo dough on a parchment paper lined surface. Cover the rest of the phyllo dough with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Using a pastry brush, spread a layer of melted butter onto the dough sheet. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of sugar on top of the butter, covering the entire sheet. Repeat this process until you have four dough layers. Don’t forget to butter and sugar the top layer as well!
Next, cut the dough into rounds using a 3 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place each round into one cup of the muffin pan. If you’re using a non-stick muffin pan, you don’t need to grease the pan. Bake the shells at 375 F for 7 minutes, or until they’re light golden brown. Let the shells cool in the pan for a 1-2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not fill the shells until they’ve cooled.
The strawberries are a little tricky, so make sure you have some extra strawberries to practice on. First, rinse and dry the strawberries. Try to choose strawberries that are firm, small to medium in size, and have a nice pointed tip.
Take one strawberry and, using the tip of the sharp knife, make a deep cut vertically into the base of the strawberry to create a petal. Continue making similar cuts around the base of the strawberry to make a row of petals. You’ll probably have 4-5 cuts on the base. Moving up the strawberry, make similar cuts to create rows of petals. When you reach the top, make 1-2 slits in the tip of the strawberry. To open up the strawberry petals, gently press the tip and the petals of the strawberry down. If you’re having a hard time visualizing the strawberries, I found watching this video to be helpful. Carefully remove the stem and leaves of the strawberry before assembling the tarts.
Once all of the pieces are cooled and ready, assemble the tarts by spooning some of the pastry cream into each tart. Then, add a strawberry rose to the top of the tart. These tarts are best enjoyed the day they’re assembled, but will keep in the refrigerator.
Enjoy these Enchanted Rose Strawberry Tarts! If you’re looking for more Beauty and the Beast inspired recipes, check out my recipe for The Grey Stuff!
Enchanted Rose Strawberry Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ vanilla bean or 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Tart Crusts
- 4 sheets store bought phyllo dough, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Decoration
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries
Equipment
- 3 ½ inch round cookie cutter
- 12 cup muffin pan
- pastry brush
- fine mesh sieve
Instructions
Pastry Cream
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Place a fine mesh sieve in a heat-safe bowl and set aside.
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Pour milk into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the salt.
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Turn heat to medium-high and bring milk mixture to just under a boil, stirring occasionally.
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Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
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When the milk is ready, ladle ⅓ of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
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Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and continue whisking over medium-high heat until thick. There should be a few slow bubbles in the mixture, but don’t bring it to a full boil.
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Remove from the heat and pour through the sieve.
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Cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cream is about 140 F.
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Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and mix into the cream, one at a time, stirring until smooth.
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Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to help it cool quickly and place in the refrigerator.
Tart Crusts
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Preheat the oven to 375 F.
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Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a flat surface covered with parchment paper. Keep the remaining pieces of phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap so that they don’t dry out.
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Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of butter onto the piece of phyllo dough. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of granulated sugar over the butter.
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Place another piece of phyllo dough on top of the sugared layer and repeat until you have four layers. Make sure to butter and sugar the top of the last layer.
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Cut the dough into circles using a 3 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Gently press each circle into one of the cups of an ungreased, non-stick muffin pan.
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Bake the tart shells for 7 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let the tart shells cool for a couple minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Strawberry Roses
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First, rinse and dry the strawberries. Try to choose strawberries that are firm, small to medium in size, and have a nice pointed tip.
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Take one strawberry and, using the tip of the sharp knife, make a deep cut vertically into the base of the strawberry to create a petal. Continue making similar cuts around the base of the strawberry to make a row of petals. You’ll probably have 4-5 cuts on the base. Moving up the strawberry, make similar cuts to create rows of petals. When you reach the top, make 1-2 slits in the tip of the strawberry. To open up the strawberry petals, gently press the tip and the petals of the strawberry down.
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Carefully remove the stem and leaves of the strawberry before assembling the tarts.
Assembly
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Place a small spoonful of pastry cream in each tart shell.
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Next, place a strawberry rose on top of the pastry cream.
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Tarts are best eaten the day they’re assembled, but can be kept in the refrigerator.