Recipe: (Steven Universe Dessert Series, Pt. 11) Alexandrite’s Triple Berry Tart

Alexandrite is a complex beast, which is to be expected since she’s a fusion of 4 different gems. We do know this much: she’s an A+ space parent and she’s formidable in a fight. Also she… maybe likes eating? Most of her does, anyway.

Since she’s a combination of all the main Crystal Gems, I had to incorporate flavors from Pearl, Amethyst, Ruby and Sapphire. My job is getting complicated, y’all. If Rebecca Sugar adds a 5+ gem fusion I’m throwing a cake pan.

As much as I wanna whine about the design process or whatever, I can’t really be negative because this was SO DARN TASTY. Calling it now: this one’s my favorite SU dessert in terms of flavor. I just can’t say no to a good fruit tart.

PRODUCTION/ASSEMBLY

Pastry cream, warm/fresh (recipe below)
Strawberry jelly half-spheres (recipe below)
French pastry dough (recipe below)
Frangipane (recipe below)
Chocolate flowers (instructions below)
Fresh berries (blackberries, blueberries)
Stabilized whipped cream (recipe below)

Piping bags
Large star tip
Large silicone dome mold
Small silicone dome mold
Mini tart pans

1. Make your strawberry jelly domes a few hours before beginning. Next, make your pastry cream. Lightly grease your silicone half-sphere molds. Fill warm pastry cream about 3/4 of the way up in each cavity. Now take your strawberry jelly half-spheres and pop one into the center of the pastry cream in each cavity, pressing it down to be level with the top of the mold. Use a spatula or knife to clean off any excess pastry cream. Place the mold in the fridge for 2-4 hours or until set. While you wait, make the frangipane.

2. Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C and lightly grease your tart molds. Make the pastry dough. Take a golf ball sized pieces of dough, flatten it roughly in your hands and pat it into a tart shell with your fingers. Repeat for all 6 tarts. Using a sharp knife, trim the excess dough from the edges.

3. Pipe a layer of almond cream into the dough-lined tart shells, about halfway up. Smooth it off a bit with the back of a spoon. Arrange all the tarts on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the almond cream and tart dough are both nicely browned. Allow the tarts to cool, then pop them out from the pans.
4. Retrieve your pastry cream domes from the fridge and pop them out of the flexible mold onto a cutting board or sheet of parchment. Use a small offset spatula or cake spatula to lift a sphere onto each tart.
5. Cut your blackberries in half (and the blueberries as well, if they are particularly large). Arrange your berries around the pastry dome as you desire. If you find your berries aren’t sticking to the pastry cream, you can use a small amount off the whipped cream to help them stay in place.

6. Using your stabilized whipped cream, pipe a small dollop on top of each tart. Top with a chocolate flower and serve! These can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, but due to the fresh berries I do not recommend allowing them to sit for longer than 8 hours.

PASTRY CREAM
500ml (2 cups) milk
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
2 yolks
2 eggs
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 scraped vanilla bean
2 tbsp butter

1. Combine all ingredients except the butter in a saucepan and cook on medium-low, stirring constantly until the mixtured has thickened and cooked thoroughly.
2. Take it off the heat and mix in the butter while the cream is still hot. Once the two are combined, press the cream through a strainer, cover it in plastic wrap (pushing the wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming).
FRENCH PASTRY DOUGH (adapted from David Lebovitz)
60g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1.5 tsp vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
120g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) flour

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and allow it to heat until you begin to see occasional brown speckles. Move the butter into a bowl and combine it with the water, sugar, salt and oil. Stir to combine.
2. Pour the flour onto the liquid and stir until it comes together into a smooth ball of dough.

STRAWBERRY JELLY
10 oz (300g) strawberries, frozen or fresh
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp water

1. Lightly grease your bon bon molds. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the strawberries until smooth. Strain out the seeds and combine with the remainder of your ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Stir the mixture over medium heat continuously until thickened, darker and beginning to hold together as a mass. If you aren’t sure it’s finished, drop a bit on a cooled piece of parchment and check the thickness once it’s cold. Cooking can take up to 20 minutes. Once done, pour immediately into cake pop or bon bon molds and transfer to the freezer for 2-4 hours, or until frozen. Once frozen, pop out the semi-spheres and store them in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to use.

ALMOND CREAM
120g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) almond flour
125g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
25g (scant 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
100g (6 tbsp + 1 tsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg

1. Beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat until thoroughly incorporated, then add in the almond and flour and mix until smooth. Do not over mix after adding the flour, or else the cream will lose its delicate texture.
2. Fill the cream into a large piping bag and store in the fridge until ready to use.

WHIPPED CREAM 
1 tsp (3g) powdered gelatin
1 tbsp cold water
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
Magenta/fuschia food coloring

1. In small bowl, mix the gelatin and cold water and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. In a larger bowl, beat the powdered sugar and cream until the whipped cream has reached soft-to-medium peaks. Gently warm the gelatin, either over a double boiler or in the microwave. Either way, be sure the gelatin has dissolved, but do not allow the mixture to boil.
2. Pour the gelatin mixture into your heavy cream while mixing. Add in a couple drops of food coloring, then mix on medium-high speed until you just achieve stiff peaks. Fill into a piping bag with a large star tip.

CHOCOLATE FLOWERS
White candy melts, melted
Teal oil-based or powdered food coloring (NOT liquid)
Fondant or marzipan
Pearl luster dust

1. Before you begin, prep what you’ll need: have acetate or parchment paper strips ready and also something to curve them (I used a paper towel roll cut in half lengthwise). You’ll need a small offset spatula or spoon and also a piping bag.
2. Using your teal food coloring, dye the candy melts an aqua color. Fill the candy melts into a small piping bag with the end snipped off.
3. Begin making the petals, working about 3-4 at a time. Pipe a large dot of chocolate (a bit smaller than a penny) onto your acetate and immediately smooth it as shown below using your spoon or spatula. While the petals are still warm, place them in the curving mold (paper towel roll) and allow to firm up. Peel the petals off and set aside. Repeat until you’ve made 5 petals for each tart, with some extra to allow for breakage.

4. Once you’ve got your petals made, assemble them simply by piping another round of chocolate onto your acetate and then arranging the petals on top of it. Allow to set.
5. Roll a small ball of your marzipan or fondant and flatten it. Brush it with some pearl luster dust and adhere it to the center of a chocolate flower with a dab of melted candy melts. Repeat.

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