Nothing makes people smile quite as much as this easy strawberry tart. A stunning centrepiece dessert for afternoon tea with family and friends. It's made with homemade pastry and crème pâtissière and is a great way to make the most of strawberries when in season.
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
180 g cold butter
3 tbs of chilled water
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup caster sugar
½ cup cornflour
2 cups milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
20-25 strawberries, sliced
1 tbs boiling water + 1 tbsp sugar
Instruction
1. Begin by making the pastry. Place the flour and butter in a food processor and process until crumbly. Add the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form a ball. Transfer the mixture onto plastic wrap, shape into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, brush your tart tin with butter and dust with flour.
2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line your tart tin with the pastry, making sure to press into the sides, and trim the excess. Prick the base with a fork and refrigerate again for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C /355°F and baking the pastry base for 10-15 minute or until dry and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
4. To make the crème pâtissière, place the milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to just below boiling point. In a small bowl. whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flour and gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture until the mixture is well combined. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until thickened and the mixture is thick and glossy. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming and refrigerate until cold.
5. To assemble, fill the tart with custard and top with the sliced strawberries. Combine the sugar and boiling water in a small bowl and brush into the strawberries for a shiny finish.