Silky Vanilla Bean Tart (Printable)

Crisp buttery crust meets silky vanilla bean cream in this elegant French-inspired tart

# What You Need:

→ Tart Crust

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 2 tbsp ice water

→ Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

07 - 2 cups whole milk
08 - 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
09 - 4 large egg yolks
10 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
11 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
12 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
13 - Pinch of salt

→ Assembly

14 - Fresh berries or fruit for topping
15 - Powdered sugar for dusting

# How To Make:

01 - Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse again. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time just until dough comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
03 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 9-inch tart pan. Press into pan and trim excess. Prick base with a fork.
04 - Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake for another 8–10 minutes until golden. Let cool completely.
05 - Heat milk and vanilla bean (seeds and pod) in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Remove pod.
06 - Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl until pale and smooth.
07 - Slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture while whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling for about 2–3 minutes.
08 - Remove from heat and stir in butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on surface, and chill until cold for at least 1 hour.
09 - Spread chilled pastry cream evenly into cooled tart shell. Top with fresh berries or fruit if desired. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The vanilla bean pastry cream is impossibly smooth, like eating a cloud that knows exactly what it's doing
  • That buttery crust shatters just right, creating the perfect contrast to the creamy filling
  • It looks like you spent hours at a fancy patisserie when really it's mostly chilling time
02 -
  • Never walk away while making pastry cream, it can go from perfect to scorched in seconds
  • That plastic wrap directly on the surface is non-negotiable unless you want a weird skin on your cream
  • The tart shell must be completely cool before filling or the cream will melt into sadness
03 -
  • Brush the cooled crust with melted white chocolate before filling for an extra moisture barrier and flavor boost
  • If using vanilla bean paste instead of a fresh bean, use a full tablespoon for that same intensity

Go Back