Rustic Alpine Summer Berry Tarts & Wood-Fired Fruit Jams

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Fresh Blueberry Custard Tart:

1. Mix cold butter cubes into wheat flour until a sandy crumb forms, then knead in eggs, sugar, and salt until a smooth dough comes together.
2. Press two-thirds of the pastry dough into a greased tart pan, shaping evenly along the bottom and sides, then prick the base thoroughly with a fork.
3. Whisk together whole milk, eggs, sugar, wheat flour, and vanilla extract until completely smooth to create the custard mixture.
4. Arrange fresh blueberries in a single layer over the raw pastry dough base.
5. Gently pour the whisked custard mixture over the blueberries, filling the tart shell evenly.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the custard center is set.

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Chocolate Cherry Crumble Tart:

1. Combine wheat flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, then rub in cold butter and knead with eggs to form a soft chocolate dough.
2. Wrap one-third of the chocolate dough and chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
3. Press the remaining chocolate dough into a parchment-lined tart dish to form the bottom crust.
4. Heat pitted sour cherries with sugar, cornstarch, and water in a pan over medium heat, stirring continuously until thickened into a glossy cherry compote.
5. Spread the warm cherry compote evenly over the chocolate dough base.
6. Remove the chilled chocolate dough from the freezer and grate it coarsely over the cherry layer using a box grater to form a crumbly topping.
7. Bake at 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is crisp and set.

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Strawberry Vanilla Custard Tart:

1. Rub cold butter into wheat flour, add eggs, sugar, and salt, then knead until a firm dough forms.
2. Press the dough into a parchment-lined baking pan, prick the bottom with a fork, and bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes until light golden; allow to cool completely.
3. In a saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar, wheat flour, and vanilla extract with milk, then cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thick and creamy.
4. Remove the custard from the heat and stir in butter until melted and fully incorporated into a silky pastry cream.
5. Fill a piping bag with cooled vanilla pastry cream and pipe decorative lines across the baked tart base.
6. Warm the strawberry jam with water to create a smooth glaze, fill a second piping bag, and pipe glaze ribbons in the alternating gaps between the custard.
7. Garnish the perimeter with fresh halved strawberries before serving.

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Traditional Summer Fruit Jams:

1. Wash and stem fresh strawberries, pitted cherries, or currants thoroughly in cold water.
2. Place chosen fruit into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan or jam pot with sugar and water.
3. Bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar completely.
4. Skim off any excess foam that rises to the surface during boiling to ensure a crystal-clear preserves texture.
5. Simmer the jam for 25 to 30 minutes until it reaches 104°C or sets when dropped onto a chilled plate.
6. Pour hot jam into sterilized glass jars, seal tightly with lids, and store in a cool, dark place.