Vanilla Cream Fruit Tart

This particular fruit tart recipes calls for a flat pizza pan! If you don't have that, you can shape the tart into a rectangle and bake it on a cookie sheet. For other tart recipes, try using a springform pan if you don't have a tart pan. Lacking that, a pie pan will do the trick. Keep in mind that if you use a pie plate that is glass or ceramic, you may need to adjust your baking time, as traditional tart pans are metal. To make your tart removable from a pie pan, line the pan with a square of parchment first, making sure the edges extend past the sides of the pan so you can smoothly lift the tart out after baking. Similarly, you can also use a regular, parchment-lined cake pan.

How do you keep fruit tarts from getting soggy?

Most fruit tarts are best eaten on the day they are made, to avoid sogginess. However, if you plan on keeping your fruit tart longer than a day, consider coating the crust with a thin layer of melted chocolate—it can be white, semisweet, milk or dark chocolate—prior to filling. Not only does it coat the crust and keep it from absorbing moisture, but it also adds an additional "surprise" element of flavor!

How long does a fruit tart last in the fridge?

Fresh fruit tarts really last only 1-2 days in the fridge, loosely covered with plastic wrap. It's best eaten sooner rather than later! If you want to prep this fruit tart ahead of time, make the filling and crust in advance and assemble on the day that you're serving it.

The beauty of this fruit tart recipe is that you can use nearly any fruit. Berries, stone fruit and tropical fruits like mango all work very well to top a tart. The only fruits you should really steer clear of are ones that brown when they are sliced, like apples, bananas and pears. These will still taste fine, but they won't look as appealing.

—Mark Neufang, Taste of Home Culinary Assistant and Lisa Kaminski, Taste of Home Editor