This delicate tart is a real showstopper, making it the perfect strawberry dessert for British summer garden parties and BBQs! It holds a special place in my heart, thanks to its simple elegance and wonderfully fresh flavour. The first time I made it, my partner and I somehow managed to eat the whole thing in less than a day! More recently, we made it together for a BBQ while watching the World Cup final! Needless to say, it went down a storm.
Crème pâtissière can seem intimidating, but it’s surprisingly easy once you know how. The key is constant stirring, careful attention and keeping a close eye on the heat. And the result is so delightful, you might find yourself eating it by the spoonful before the tart even gets assembled!
Strawberry Tart
Course: DessertDifficulty: ★★★★☆8
servings30
minutes20
minutes3
hoursA delicate show-stopping dessert, rich with smooth and creamy crème pâtissière and fresh with tasty strawberries, all encased in a crumbly tart case…
Ingredients
- Pastry
220 g plain flour
125 g unsalted butter (diced)
40 g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 pinch salt
- Crème pâtissière
350 ml milk
4 egg yolks
60 g caster sugar
20 g plain flour
15 g corn flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
20g unsalted butter
- Topping
500 g strawberries (hulled)
80 g apricot jam
Directions
- Pastry
- For the pastry, rub the butter cubes into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the icing sugar, then stir through the egg. The pastry should start to come together here, but of not, use 1-2 tsp extra water.
- Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, to around 5 mm thickness. Use it to line a ~25 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Cut away the loose edges, cover, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Once chilled, line the tart with baking paper and baking beans. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, before removing the paper and beans and baking for 5 more minutes. The tart should be lightly golden and crisp. Leave to cool.
- Crème pâtissière
- To make the crème pâtissière, heat the milk in a pan until warm (but not boiling), before leaving to slightly cool (~2 minutes).
- While cooling, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, until thick and pale. Whisk through the flour and corn flour, until the mixture is smooth.
- Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture, until well combined.
- In a clean pan, heat the mixture up again over a medium heat. Stir continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Once thickening, stir vigorously, before turning the heat down and simmering for 2 minutes (while still stirring). The mixture should get quite thick.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir through the butter and vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the cooled tart case and chill in the fridge for 3 hours, or until set.
- Topping
- Arrange the hulled strawberries gently on top of the set tart. Medium-large strawberries look best, arranged evenly over the surface. Try to fill up the space right to the edges.
- Heat up the jam with a little water until warm and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the jam over the fruit to give it a lovely sheen!
- Serve and enjoy 🙂
Notes
- Best when stored in, and served from, the fridge!
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