3/4 recipe of Classic Puff Pastry, recipe follows
1/2 recipe of pastry cream, flavored
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
5.8 ounce bittersweet chocolate, tempered
Assorted fresh fruit, sliced
Powdered sugar for dusting

Classic Puff Pastry:
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 salt
1/4 unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 water
1 1/4 butter, cold

Pastry Cream:
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

Place the flour, salt, melted butter, and most of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer as soon as the ingredients begin to form a dough and pull away from the side of the bowl. If the dough appears too dry and does not come together, add the remaining water and mix just until combined. Do not overmix or you will overdevelop the gluten. It is very important to keep gluten development to a minimum in this recipe, or the finished puff pastry will be tough and chewy instead of delicate and crispy. Remove the dough from the mixer and pat it into a 5-inch square about 2-inches thick. Wrap the dough completely in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Resting the dough allows gluten strands that have developed to relax.

Remove the cold butter from the refrigerator and work it into a square that is about a third smaller than the dough square and about 1 inch thick. Place the butter on a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to give it a few quick raps. This will soften the butter. It should be about the same consistency as that of the puff pastry dough. Keep the butter shaped in a square. Lightly flour the butter and rolling pin as needed to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin and the work surface.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use the rolling pin to make a mark about 1 inch from each corner of the dough. Roll only this part of each corner away from the center of the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. The center of the dough should be about 1 inch thick. Place the butter square in the center of the dough square. Pull the rolled-out corners up and over the butter, completely enclosing it in a dough package. You will need to give the dough six single, folds, allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours after every 2 folds. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 10 by 23-inch rectangle. Try to keep it an even thickness. Place the dough horizontally in front of you so it will be easier to fold. Fold the dough in thirds by first folding the left end over the middle and then folding the right third over it. Make sure the seam of the dough is on your right. This is known as a single fold. It is also called a letter fold because it resembles the way a letter is folded. Repeat the single fold starting with the 10 by 23-inch rectangle. To show that dough has been folded two times, make two indentations in the dough with my fingertips. At this stage, the puff pastry must be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and give it two more single folds, starting each time with the 10 by 23-inch rectangle. To remind myself that I have folded the dough four times, I make four indentations in the dough with my fingertips. At this stage, the puff pastry must be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and give it the final two folds, starting each time with the 10 by 23-inch rectangle. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using. Then it will be ready to be rolled and formed into the shape required in the specific recipe. The finished puff pastry will keep, well wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for one day or in freezer for up to two months.

Pastry cream:
Sift together the cornstarch and half of the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined. The egg mixture should be thick, smooth, and homogenous.

Pour the milk and the remaining sugar in a nonreactive 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place the saucepan over medium-high heat. I use a large saucepan because the pastry cream gains volume as it cooks and room is needed to vigorously whisk without spilling. While the milk is heating, use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Add the seeds and the skin to the heating milk and bring to a boil. Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk by carefully pouring about half of the milk into the egg mixture. Immediately whisk to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and continue to whisk, remembering to whisk into the edge of the saucepan where the pastry cream can stick and burn. As the temperature rises, the mixture will slowly start to thicken. The pastry cream will become very thick very quickly just before it boils. (The eggs and starch cause it to thicken.) Continuously whisk to ensure that the mixture cooks evenly. Once the pastry cream has come to a boil, continue to whisk and cook for another 2 minutes to fully develop the flavor of the pastry cream and to cook out the flavor of the starch. Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any pieces of cooked egg and the vanilla bean. Be sure to save the vanilla bean skin to make vanilla sugar.

If you would like to add butter, this is the time to add it. Cut the butter into small chunks and stir it in until it is well incorporated. Pour the pastry cream into a clean, airtight container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days, until ready to use.

Flavor it according to your taste. If you prefer to add flavor without alcohol, you will need to do so at the beginning of the pastry cream recipe. Place the zest of 1 orange in the heating milk to infuse the flavor of the orange into the pastry cream. Store the pastry cream well wrapped in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12 by 24-inch rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Cut it in half and place on 2 parchment paper-covered baking sheets and bake between 2 baking sheets until it barely begins to take on color, about 10 minutes. The puff pastry may rise unevenly in sections. If that happens, release the air by gently piercing the dough with the tip of a paring knife. Mix together the corn syrup and water. Remove the puff pastry from the oven and brush the tops with the corn syrup mixture. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and flip over the puff pastry. Peel off the parchment paper that is now on top and brush this side with the corn syrup mixture. I like to use the corn syrup to add sweetness, enhance the color as it caramelizes, and make the puff pastry crunchier.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut about two 10-inch circles from the half-baked puff pastry. Discard the excess dough. I cut the circles when the dough is half-baked so they will keep their shape. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the puff pastry circles back in the oven and continue to bake until crispy and golden brown, about another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Use a pastry brush to coat one side of each cooled circle with the tempered chocolate and set aside to allow the chocolate to set at room temperature, about 5 minutes. This layer of chocolate keeps the tarts from getting soggy. Spread about 2 tablespoons of pastry cream on each tart shell on top the chocolate coating. Cover with assorted sliced fresh fruit. I like to arrange the fruit in a sunburst pattern, fanning each type of fruit from the center of the circle toward the edge. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with powdered sugar right before you serve them. Place the sugar cage over the crispy tart.

Dessert Circus Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres