Strawberries.

The pretty young things of the fruit family.

Pink and posh.

Sweet and sour.

Bright and beautiful.

Good strawberries are quite rare in India, and when you get your hands on some, it’s only fitting to make a dessert that really celebrates them.

Like this Strawberry tart.

Gorgeous isn’t it?

Take a look at how it shaped up.

Can I be evil and offer you a slice? Hehe 🙂

The luscious crème pâtissière is delicately sweetened.

The crust crumbles in your mouth.

And the strawberries are a burst of freshness.

You could try this with any fruit on top, but I doubt anything would look as gorgeous as this.

Don’t ya agree? 🙂

Happy new year folks! Let’s hope this is the best year yet 🙂

Strawberry tart

Largely adapted from: Step by step Baking

Prep time: 40 mins (plus chilling)
Cook time: 25 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

150 g plain flour, plus a bit more for dusting
100 g butter, diced and kept cold, plus a bit more for greasing
50 g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
½ tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp strawberry jam

For the crème pâtissière

100 g caster sugar
50 g cornflour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
400 ml milk
20-25 large strawberries, sliced

Method:

1. Mix the flour, butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla essence and mix again to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and keep in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Grease a tart tin with butter and then press the pastry into it, using your hands to get it all around the base and sides in as even a layer as possible. Use a fork to prick the pastry all over. Line the pastry with baking parchment and cover with baking beans. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, discard the parchment and remove the beans. Mix half the jam with some warm water and brush the tart, before letting it cool.
4. For the crème pâtissière, beat the sugar, cornflour, eggs, and vanilla essence in a bowl. Gently boil the milk in a pan and remove from the heat. Let it rest for a couple of minutes, and then gradually pour it into the egg mixture, beating all the time. Cook this mixture over medium heat and keep beating as it cooks. The mixture will thicken, and you need to watch very carefully because it could suddenly become very thick. Once it starts to thicken, turn the heat to low, and keep taking it off the heat (while stirring) to check the consistency. When it is thick and creamy, transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
5. Once the crème is slightly cool, beat it again to give it a creamy consistency and spoon it all over the tart. Cover with strawberries. Mix the remaining jam with some warm water and brush this over the strawberries so the tart looks glossy and bright 🙂 Eat as it is, or chill for a while before you do.