The Best Strawberry Tart with Homemade Pastry Cream

This strawberry tart has a shortbread crust, is filled with a delicious pastry cream, and then topped with fresh strawberries. You can make this in a large tart pan, or use individual tart pans. This is a beautiful presentation and a perfect summer dessert.

Can there possibly be too many ways to enjoy strawberries? I don’t think so. So far, I’ve posted strawberry scones (because these were early berries and very tart– almost “sour”). I posted Pioneer Woman’s Strawberry Shortcake Cake, which turned out to be delicious. I made my first batch of homemade strawberry blinztes (which were equally wonderful).

When I tasted the fresh picked berries from “The Farm“, I fell in-love. The berries were fresh-picked, organically grown and sweet– no sugar needed! I thought that $2.50 a basket was very reasonable.I knew that these berries did not deserve to be baked.

I liked the idea of a shortbread crust, a pastry cream filling and fresh strawberries– glazed with melted apricot jelly. You can make this dessert as individual tarts. However, since I own a large tart pan (with a removable bottom), I decided this would be my plan.

I decided to make the pastry cream one day ahead, so it would chill properly.

Egg yolks, milk (I had 1% milk and half and half, so I used half of each…and it worked), corn starch, sugar, salt, vanilla and unsalted butter. After creaming the eggs and sugar, I added the corn starch. I slowly added scalded (not boiling) milk. Fortunately, I’ve bonded with my microwave so I know how long to heat the milk. This was slowly added to the eggs, sugar and cornstarch and then moved onto the stove.

The recipe instructions say to cook the pastry cream between 5-7 minutes, until it thickens like pudding. Ha! It took 14 minutes, thank you very much. I had to carefully adjust the burners to get some action going– otherwise, I might’ve been there a lot longer.

At last! The pastry cream (really, I considered this to be a pudding) thickened up, and I added the butter and vanilla. You can add cognac, but alas, I don’t drink much hard liquor (except for vodka with cranberry juice). I debated adding amaretto, which I do keep and enjoy on occasion. I decided to go “plain”.

I placed plastic wrap directly over the pastry cream and put it into the refrigerator to chill.

The tart crust was next. Flour, sugar and salt was whisked together and placed into the freezer for 30 minutes– the colder the better to make great crusts!

In my food processor, I added the dry ingredients and then pulsed unsalted butter and shortening until the size of peas. The ice water made the crust come together. I gently patted the dough into a disk and put that into the fridge; and then we went to see Pixar’s new movie “Up”, which we enjoyed.

It was early evening when we returned home, so I decided to blind bake the crust. I wish had pictures to share, but I was tired and lazy. Sorry about that…

I will say this– I have finally conquered the art of rolling out pastry dough, using 1/4 turns to prevent the dough from sticking. Like a pro (and this is a first for me), I successfully lifted the dough onto my rolling pin and laid it across the tart pan.

I used buttered foil, face down and filled the crust with beans and blind baked it. It shrank! (I have since learned it’s best to freeze the dough before baking, to avoid shrinkage.)

On to the next series of photos, which I took tonight.

I filled the crust with the chilled pastry cream, sliced strawberries in half– and glazed them with apricot jelly that was melted with a little water. It’s not fancy, but it was good!

I think that the pastry cream, alone, is a delicious way to enjoy fresh berries of any kind. I’ll have to buy a small bottle of cognac, because I think it would give the pastry cream a little bit of extra “zip” (and maybe myself in the process).

Both of my boys gave this five stars. It’s a bit of work, so I’d spread this over two days. Once again, Ina presented a great recipe.

What’s next for strawberries? Strawberry rhubard pie. Homemade strawberry jam. Strawberry sorbet… I’ll think of more. Stay tuned!

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Strawberry Cream Tart

This strawberry tart has a shortbread crust, is filled with a delicious pastry cream, and then topped with fresh strawberries. You can make this in a large tart pan, or use individual tart pans. This is a beautiful presentation and a perfect summer dessert.

Prep Time1 day d

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 day d 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pastry Cream, Strawberry Tart

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

• Tart pan with a removable bottom

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons cold shortening recommended: Crisco
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 2 cups Pastry Cream recipe above
• 2 pints whole strawberries hulled and halved
• 1/3 cup apricot jelly
• 3 tablespoons shelled pistachios halved, optional

For the pastry cream (best made one day before)

• 5 extra-large egg yolks room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups scalded milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Cognac optional
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
• Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in 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 and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into a tart pan or 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides.
• Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking.

  Ideally, freeze the dough for at least 15 minute before blind 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, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Pastry Cream

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
• With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.
• Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously.
• Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding.
• Stir in the vanilla, Cognac (if using), butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

To serve:

• Fill the tart pan (or shells) with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream.

  Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.

Notes

Recipe source: Ina Garten, Food Network

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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