How to Get that Glossy Fruit Tart Top

Whether sporting a heaping tumble of berries or a more formal, carefully executed arrangement, these desserts always convey a sense of occasion. 

Fruit tarts taste as good as they look and are a frequent showpiece in refrigerated pastry cases. Perhaps their most iconic feature is the shimmering glaze painted across their tops, giving them a polished, professional look. 

You might think that this finishing touch is hard to create.

And it’s true that as simple as the glaze is to make, a lot can go wrong. It can range from overly runny to stiff and springy or cloudy and gummy. It can be so dull-tasting, it mutes the freshness of the fruit.

These issues extend beyond glazing tarts to lacquering a host of other fruit-topped desserts, such as summer berry pie, apple galette, and fresh strawberry pie. 

To ensure our fresh fruit desserts have the sheen, structure, and taste we desire, we have two methods. 

With fresh fruit desserts that don’t need a glaze to provide structural help, the simplest option is the best: Brush the finished dessert with warmed jelly or preserves. Heating the product allows you to attain a more even coating, and once chilled, the glaze will rethicken.

For our fresh fruit tart and apple galette, we like the complexity and hint of tartness of apricot preserves. For summer berry pie, we prefer the slight red tint and utter clarity of red currant jelly.

Some baked goods, such as our fresh strawberry pie, require added support to keep the fruit together in addition to shine. For a glaze that wasn’t too stiff but also had the glossy clarity we required, a combination of pectin (we prefer Sure-Jell) and cornstarch mixed with a puree of fresh strawberries proved ideal.