A buttery tahini shortbread crust, miso honey custard, and glossy fruit piled high with a salty sesame crunch. Dessert with dinner party energy, but weeknight-friendly steps.
By Matt Campbell
This is the tart I make when I want dessert to feel like a surprise, in a good way. It looks like a classic fruit tart, but the flavor does a little side quest: nutty tahini in the crust, a whisper of white miso in the custard, and a finishing crunch that hits sweet, salty, and toasty all at once.
The vibe is rich and cozy, but the fruit keeps it bright. Think of it like your favorite bakery tart went on vacation, came back with better seasoning, and now refuses to be boring.
Best plan: Store components separately when you can. Fruit tart leftovers are still delicious, but the fruit will weep and soften the crust over time.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the assembled tart. The custard can get grainy and the fruit texture turns sad.
It is dessert-first, but with savory depth. Miso brings a gentle saltiness and umami that makes the custard taste rounder, kind of like salted caramel energy without the sugar bomb.
White miso (shiro) is best here. It is mild and slightly sweet. Avoid red miso unless you want a much stronger, saltier flavor.
A tart pan with a removable bottom is ideal, but you can use a 9-inch springform pan in a pinch. Lightly grease the sides, line the bottom with parchment, and expect a slightly thicker, less clean-edged tart. Because springforms are deeper, you may need a few extra minutes of bake time to get the crust deeply golden.
Two moves: bake the crust until deep golden, and brush a thin layer of melted white chocolate on the cooled crust before adding custard. It sets into a moisture barrier and you generally should not taste it much if the layer is thin.
Go for a mix of soft and bright: berries, kiwi, mango, citrus segments, or thin-sliced stone fruit. Avoid super-watery fruit like melon unless you pat it very dry.
Yes. Bake the crust and cook the custard ahead, then assemble with fruit right before serving so everything stays crisp and glossy.
I started messing with this tart because I wanted a fruit dessert that did not taste like it came straight from a tea party. I love bright fruit, but I also crave that “one more bite” pull that usually comes from salty snacks. So I did what any mildly chaotic kitchen person does: I put tahini in the crust, miso in the custard, and then I made a crunchy sesame topping like I was trying to impress my own taste buds.
It worked. Now it is my go-to when someone says, “Bring dessert,” and I want to show up with something that looks classic, tastes unexpected, and still lets everyone go back for seconds without needing a nap.
