Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there! It’s become a Father’s Day tradition that Felicia and I cook a restaurant worthy menu at home, and this year we were inspired by the cornucopia of fresh fruits juicily “in season” this summer.

2014 Father’s Day Menu:

• Steamed tilapia with an orange-wine sauce
• Honey-lime quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes
• Mango-avocado side salad
• Naked strawberries and apricots
• Matcha-kiwi custard tarts

Fall apart soft fish accompanied with steamy spiced potatoes, lightly dressed veggies, and naked fruits made for a symphony of tropical wanderlust! But I gotta say, dessert still took the cake.

Matcha Kiwi Custard Tarts 

Makes 6 mini tarts (egg tart sized)

Ingredients:

For the tart shells:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tbsp iced water

For the pastry cream:

• 1 cup milk
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp matcha powder

For the fresh fruit topping:

• 1 kiwi, skinned and sliced
• Fruit jam + water (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Pour the cold mixture and butter into a food processor. Pulse about 10 times or until butter is the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Roll out dough into circles, depending on the size of your tart pans. Place rolled out dough into greased and floured pans, being careful not to stretch the dough when placing it into the pans or else it might shrink back during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, buttered side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice to prevent the dough from rising in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
3. To make the pastry cream, scald milk over medium-high heat, bringing it to just under a boil. Meanwhile, vigorously whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the mixture lightens in color. Add cornstarch and continue whisking until smooth. Slowly stream scalded milk into egg mixture, whisking continuously until the milk is fully incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. While again whisking continuously, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook while whisking for another minute until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream, vanilla extract, and matcha powder. To completely incorporate the matcha powder and get a silky smooth texture, blend the mixture in a small bullet type blender (an unconventional step but definitely not one to skip!). The mixture will become runnier but should firm up again in the fridge. Transfer blended pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on cream. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until thickened again.
4. To serve, spoon the pastry cream into the tart shells and top with a kiwi slice. Optional: melt some fruit jam and water together and brush on top of the tarts for a glossy finish!

We were too lazy/impatient to go for the glossy finish 😛

 Happy Father’s Day everyone!