Cream the butter with the sifted powdered sugar. Add the salt, the seeds from half a vanilla pod, and the almond flour. Mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl.

Incorporate the egg, then add the sifted flour. Mix briefly without kneading or trying to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto the work surface and “fraisage” it with the palm of your hand two or three times to bring it together.

Gather the dough into a ball, divide it in two, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Ideally, prepare it the day before for the next day.

The next day (or after the 2-hour chilling), roll out the dough to about 2.5–3 mm (0.1 in) thick.

Line 8 tartlet rings following the proper tart lining and baking technique. Freeze for 1 hour before baking.

(You will have some left over)

Place a little sugar and the milk in a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife.

Add the seeds and the pod to the milk.

Whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks, then add the flour and cornstarch. Mix gently without whisking.

Bring the milk to a boil, then pour it in two parts over the egg and sugar mixture (sabayon) through a fine sieve.

Mix, pour back into the saucepan, and thicken over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Cook the custard until it starts to bubble.

Remove from heat, add the butter, and mix well. Pour into a dish, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface, and let cool in the refrigerator.

Cream the soft butter with the sugar. Add the almond flour and mix.

Add the eggs gradually, mixing as you go, without whisking to prevent the cream from rising. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bake the tartlet shells straight from the freezer at 150 °C (300 °F), using fan-forced/ventilated heat, for about 12–15 minutes, until they are lightly golden (they will be baked again later with the almond cream).

Once out of the oven, place 2 teaspoons of almond cream into each shell.

Add a few frozen blueberries to half of the tartlets, and for the others, add some frozen raspberry pieces.

Bake for 10 -12 minutes, until the almond cream is set but still pale if you plan to brush the sides with an egg wash. Otherwise, continue baking until the cream takes on a light golden color.

Remove the tartlets from the oven and take off the rings. Smooth the edges by gently rubbing them over the back of a sieve, then use a paper towel to remove any crumbs.

Prepare the egg wash by mixing the egg yolk and cream. Brush the egg wash on the sides of the tartlets, going over them several times to remove drips.

Return the tartlets to the oven to give them a nice golden color, for about 8 minutes. Once baked, let them cool on a wire rack.

Use a mix of red fruits or just the fruit used to fill the tartlets. Place the fruits in a saucepan with the sugar and stir.

Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, and let reduce until you get a thick jam-like consistency.

Spread a thin layer of the fruit confit over the almond cream in each tartlet and let cool completely.

Whisk the pastry cream to smooth it out (or use an immersion blender).

Pipe it into a pastry bag or spread directly with a spoon. Pipe a small amount of pastry cream over the confit and spread evenly.

Decorate with the same red fruits used to fill the tartlets. Optionally, dust lightly with powdered sugar.