Fruit Choux Pastry Tartlets with Figs and Mascarpone Cream

Fruit choux pastry tartlets with figs and mascarpone cream combine light baked pastry, a delicate white chocolate filling and five kinds of fresh fruit. This tested recipe makes 12 colourful tartlets for a celebration or an elegant dessert.

Difficultyeasy

Active time50 minutes

Total time1 hour 30 minutes

Yield12 tartlets

Recipe at a Glance

• Make choux pastry with water, margarine, flour and eggs.
• Pipe 12 flower-shaped bases with five sections and bake them at two temperatures.
• Prepare the mascarpone cream with white chocolate and citrus zest.
• Fill the tartlets, top them with five kinds of fruit and brush with gelatine.

How to Make Colourful Fruit Choux Tartlets

Choux pastry creates light, airy bases that work beautifully with creamy fillings. Here, it is piped into flower shapes with five sections, baked until light and crisp, then filled with mascarpone cream and decorated with figs, redcurrants, grapes, melon and peach.

Another Mascarpone Dessert

Try this chocolate lasagna with mascarpone and hazelnut spread →

Ingredients for 12 Fruit Tartlets

Choux Pastry

• 6 eggs
• 150 g margarine
• 150 g flour (7 heaped tbsp)
• 250 ml water
• 1 pinch salt

Cream and Fruit Topping

• 350 g mascarpone
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 2 pieces white chocolate (50 g)
• 5 kinds of fruit in different colours (figs, redcurrants, grapes, green melon and peach)
• 3 gelatine leaves

Method

Bring the water and margarine to a boil: Pour the water into a saucepan, add the margarine and salt, then bring to a boil.

Add the flour: When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and gradually add the flour while stirring constantly.

Cook the dough: Cook until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.

Partially cool the dough: Leave the cooked choux pastry to cool until it is lukewarm.

Beat in the eggs: Add the eggs to the lukewarm dough and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth.

Draw the circles: Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the baking tray and draw 9 cm (3.5-inch) circles on it.

Fill the piping bag: Fit a piping bag with a medium nozzle and fill it two-thirds full.

Pipe the flower shapes: Starting in the centre of each marked circle, pipe the dough clockwise out to the line so the entire circle is covered. Divide each circle of choux pastry into five sections to create five small compartments.

Mist the pastry with water: Transfer the parchment with the piped pastry flowers to the baking tray and lightly mist them with water.

Bake the pastry flowers: Bake in an oven preheated to 190 °C (375 °F) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 165 °C (330 °F) and bake for another 15 minutes.

Combine the cream ingredients: Place the mascarpone in a bowl and add the grated lemon and orange zest, powdered sugar and white chocolate melted over a bain-marie.

Mix the cream: Whisk the ingredients thoroughly until smooth.

Fill the sections: The pastry flowers should be cool by now, so fill each of their five compartments with the mascarpone cream.

Level the filling: Pipe the cream up to the top of the pastry edges.

Prepare the fruit: Wash, clean and dry the fruit. Cut the figs into thin half-moons, halve the seedless grapes lengthwise, leave the redcurrants whole, and cut the peach and melon into small wedges and then into thin slices.

Top the tartlets with fruit: Arrange the fruit over the cream-filled compartments. Cover the cream completely and use all five kinds of fruit on every tartlet.

Soak the gelatine: Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes, gently squeeze out the excess water and place them in a small saucepan.

Dissolve the gelatine: Add 30 ml warm water and heat over very low heat, without boiling, until the gelatine dissolves.

Brush the fruit and chill: Brush the fruit with the dissolved gelatine, then refrigerate the tartlets for at least 30 minutes.

Piping Tip

If you do not have a piping bag, half-fill a freezer bag and cut approximately 3 mm (1/8 inch) from one bottom corner. The baked pastry flowers are ready when they feel light as you lift them.

Mascarpone with Fruit and Chocolate

Try this prune and mascarpone cake with chocolate sponge →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these fruit tartlets without a piping bag?

Yes. Half-fill a freezer bag and cut approximately 3 mm (1/8 inch) from one bottom corner to create a small piping opening.

How do I know when the choux pastry flowers are baked?

A baked pastry flower feels light when lifted. Bake for 15 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), then for another 15 minutes at 165 °C (330 °F).

Why is the fruit brushed with gelatine?

The thin gelatine glaze helps hold the fruit in place and keeps the tartlets looking neat while they chill and are served.

How long do these fruit tartlets take to make?

Active preparation takes about 50 minutes, while the total time including baking and chilling is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.