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Fruit Compote Tartlets

Jacqueline Plant
Lightened with yogurt, mascarpone becomes the filling joining a cookie-like crust and spiced winter fruit topping. Make the fruit mixture several hours or a day ahead to allow its flavor to develop.

Ingredients
  

PASTRY

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting surfaces

FRUIT COMPOTE

  • 2 cups Riesling
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 4-inch cinnamon stick
  • 18 dried apricots halved
  • 12 dried dates halved
  • cup dried sweet cherries
  • cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 8-ounce container mascarpone (such as Vermont Creamery's mascarpone)
  • 1 6-ounce container nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt

Instructions
 

THE PASTRY

  • Heat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a mixer, beat together the butter, sugars, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and baking powder; beat until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour, beating until a dough forms. Wrap and refrigerate dough 1 hour or freeze for up to 2 months.
  • Place the dough on a well-floured clean surface, and roll out to a scant ¼-inch thickness. Cut out three 5-inch circles, and place them in 4-inch tart or mini pie pans. Repeat with the remaining dough to make six tarts.
  • Fill the tarts with pastry weights, and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven, removing the pie weights after 12 minutes. Continue baking until lightly golden, about 8 minutes more. Transfer the tarts in their pans to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

THE FRUIT COMPOTE

  • Combine the wine, sugar, anise, cloves, and cinnamon in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add the dried fruits. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the fruit is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving the liquid and setting the fruit
  • aside. Return the liquid to the saucepan and heat to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the mixture is thickened to a syrup and reduced to 1 cup—about 12 minutes. Discard the spices in fruit mixture.
  • Blend the mascarpone and yogurt in a medium bowl.
  • To assemble the tarts: Place about ¼ cup of the mascarpone mixture in each pastry shell. Top with the fruit mixture, and drizzle with the compote syrup.