Tartelettes

...Otherwise known as little pies.  I made banana cream and lemon/lime citrus 6-inch tarts.  Perfectly sweet, tart, and flaky and they're the perfect individual portion size without the mess of cutting.  Pack them in small boxes for a picnic or serve them on a plate for a formal dinner. You can do as the dinner guests did; cut two in half and trade with a partner. 

In my opinion, every baker needs a versatile Pastry Cream recipe in their arsenal.  I use it as my pie base and added sliced bananas.  The neutral base is perfect for fruit tarts, cream puffs, and inside of your eclairs.
The crust recipe is from my friend Cristie.  You've seen it here before. And I blind bake my crusts.

Flaky, light, and tender; this crust is the perfect vehicle for any pie filling.

For best results, use removable-bottom tart shells.  Check Restaurant supply stores for good prices on these.

Pastry Cream

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

4 large egg yolks
5 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups of hot milk

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and lemon yellow colored. Stir in the flour and salt and mix until smooth. Gradually beat in the hot milk. Pour into a heavy –bottomed sauce pan and cook over medium, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil slowly for 2 minutes, making sure the custard does not scorch. Pour the custard into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the butter and vanilla.

Press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the cream so a skin doesn’t form as it cools.

Before using, stir to smooth it and use however you wish.

*Blind bake your tart crusts and let them cool.  Remove them from the tart pans. 
Fill with your choice of pie filling and pipe whipped cream on top.