Strawberry Tart
Strawberry Tarts are one of the desserts that I remember having at home during my childhood in Lebanon. It’s a favorite among the women to make a tart for their guests. This Tart is not overly sweet, so you can add the jam, creams, and fruit of your choice.
Recipe: (for a 9 inch tart plus a small tarlette or a 10 inch tart)
Crust
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp milk
Crème Patisserie
2 cups whole milk
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
Toppings:
Fresh strawberries
Other options: fresh berries, mango, kiwi, pineapple. You can also add jam or cover the fruits with simple syrup so they look fresh if consuming the next day.
Directions
Crust:
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or you can use a bowl and work with your hands. You can also use a food processor). Add the flour and butter that you cut into small cubes into the stand mixer bowl and mix until the flour and butter are sand like.
Add the powdered sugar, egg yolk, and milk to the butter and flour in the stand mixer and mix them together on medium speed until it forms a dough.
Place the crust dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and use your hands and a roller to form a flat circle.
Place the dough on a tart pan and flatten the edges of the pan then use a knife to cut the excess dough. Use a fork to prick the base of the tart (this helps the base in cooking more evenly)
Place the tart pan in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven at 350 F
Remove tart pan from the fridge and place a parchment paper on top of the dough, then add baking weights on top of the parchment paper.
Bake for 20 minutes with the baking weights, then remove from oven. Remove the parchment paper with the baking weights. Then return the tart pan bake to the oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes until the edges of the pan are golden brown and the middle seems cooked through.
Remove pan from oven once baked and allow it to cool.
Crème patisserie:
In a pot, add milk and half the amount of sugar. Mix them well and place on low heat until the milk is warm for 4-5 minutes. Mix constantly to avoid burning the milk. Reduce heat to a simmer.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs and egg yolk (separate the yolk from the egg white, discard the egg white) with the remaining sugar and whisk together well. Then add the cornstarch gradually and whisk together well. (It’s important to do it in stages to avoid crumbling the egg yolks. The constituency should be smooth.)
Now you need to temper the eggs. Add a few tablespoons of the warm milk to the egg mixture and whisk. Keep adding a few tablespoon until you added half the amount of milk to the egg mixture.
Now return the egg mixture that now is more liquid with the milk with the rest of the milk in the pot and place the pot on high heat. Continue mixing fast until the crème patisserie is thick. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, mix well.
Pour the custard over the baked crust and allow it to cool completely. Place a parchment paper over the custard to avoid it from drying.
Toppings: You can add fresh fruit to the top of the crème patisserie of your choice but traditionally it topped with sliced fresh strawberries. You can also dust it with powdered sugar or brush it with nectar jam.
You can glaze the fruit to avoid it from going bad. Mix all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan while cold, then place on the stove top and mix well and continue mixing until the mixture thickens slightly. Brush the glaze over the fruit while it’s hot.
