Spiced Berry Jalousie Tart

This Jalousie Tart is named after its slatted puff-pastry top that allows the fruit filling to peek through, reminiscent of Jalousie shutters. In this lovely Spring variation, the crisp buttery puff-pastry encompasses an irresistible spiced berry filling bursting with sweetness and zing.

I know this Jalousie Tart plays the part of a fancy-looking pastry, but with the use of store-bought puff pastry and a pack of frozen berries, you can effortlessly whip up this treat in less than 30 minutes (and you’ll have a dessert that’ll look like it took you a whole day to make). Once baked and sliced along the slats, this Jalousie Tart can be turned into nifty hand-held pie morsels that are crisp on the outside, and ooey-gooey on the inside.

The perfect treat, at anytime of the day! Why use frozen berries, and not fresh?

I know we’re gearing towards berry season and it could sound counterintuitive to use frozen berries, as opposed to fresh. But the reason why I think frozen berries work best here is because they will render lots of juice when cooked on the stovetop. We will then re-use this juice to build a rich glaze that will coat the berries nicely and create a luscious fruit filling.

When using fresh berries and cooking them on the stovetop, they will not render as much juice and we won’t be able to build a glaze from it. The result of the cooked fresh fruits will be closer to a fruit jam/puree, rather than whole fruits coated in a glaze.

Cooking notes:

• Although I honestly often rely on store-bought puff pastry to save time, you can of course make your own puff-pastry from scratch. For this, I like to use Anna Olson’s recipe. Mardi Michel’s cookbook “In the French Kitchen with Kids”(affiliate link) also features a rough puff pastry recipe that I have made a few times, and it turned out great.
• For the mixed berry filling, I used a bag of the Berry Cherry Fusion from Irresistibles (found at Metro), which was a perfect size (14-oz).

If you try this Spiced Berry Jalousie Tart recipe let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram. Bon Appétit!