Dragonfruit (Pitaya) Fruit Tart Recipe by Karen Chin

Image by Karen Chin

Before Karen met her husband, she had never had a dragon fruit. The brightly pink fruit perplexed her at first, then mesmerized and inspired her! She had to do something with the juicy, vibrant flesh, and soon, this beautiful flower fruit tart was born. Easy to make, refreshing, and sure to delight tastebuds and wow friends and family on any occasion! Let Karen know what you think of her great recipe!

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Dragonfruit Flower Tart

Yield

8

Author

Karen Chin

Prep time

25 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Total time

40 Min

My husband loves dragonfruit! I had never had one until I met him. I remember seeing it when he first bought it and wondering what is this bright pink fruit with greenish tipped spikes?! The inside of the fruit is such a contrast with the outside. It could be white with black seeds or a beautiful magenta pink with black seeds inside depending on which dragonfruit you buy. I was immediately drawn to the one with the vibrant pink color, and knew I would be using it to make new culinary creations. This tart is not only pretty but light and refreshing with its luscious dragonfruit slices.

Ingredients US Metric

For the crust

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar 
• One large egg 
• Pinch of sea salt 
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

For the filling

• 3 large egg yolks 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons dragonfruit pitaya powder  
• 3/4 cup whole milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 red dragonfruit/pitaya, cut in thin flat semicircle slices, (place on paper towels to soak up extra liquid)

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, put flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and egg and pulse until the combined mixture forms large balls of dough. (If the dough feels too soft, put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.)
2. Spray a 7-inch nonstick tart or cake pan with a removable bottom with cooking oil spray. Put the dough in the tart pan and press into the pan evenly with your fingers to form a tart crust on the sides and bottom of the pan. The crust sides will be about 1 inch high. Cover pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Take off plastic wrap from the tart pan. Prick all over the bottom of the crust with a fork. Put the tart pan on a baking tray. Bake for 11-13 minutes until golden brown. Cool tart crust completely and place tart on a flat dish. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until combined. Sift the cornstarch and pitaya powder into the bowl and whisk well. Add milk and vanilla extract to a small pot and heat over medium heat until lightly bubbling. Add 1/4 of the milk to the egg yolk mixture in the bowl and whisk continuously until well blended. Add mixture back to the pot and bring mixture to a low boil and whisk continually until thickened. Pour into a small bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until cooled. When the tart cream is cooled, spoon into tart crust and spread out evenly. Do not fill all the way to the top of the crust otherwise the cream may spill over when you add the dragonfruit slices later. Refrigerate until ready to assemble. 
5. If you don’t want your fingers to turn pink, wear gloves when assembling the dragonfruit slices. When ready to serve, place the bigger dragonfruit slices carefully on top of the cream starting from the outer edge of the tart. Overlap each slice slightly going around in a circle. Continue to overlap the smaller slices in 3 more inner circles. Finish with the smallest slices in the center. The tart is ready to enjoy!

Recommended Products:

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

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About the Baker

Karen Chin is a hobby baker and cook. Her passion for baking blossomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was stuck at home with two young kids and getting a bit bored. Her husband bought a 50 pound bag of flour and she saw it as a challenge and an opportunity! She started baking nonstop and have continued ever since. She absolutely loves baking and sharing her recipes!

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