2019-06-01_Food_Heaven

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French

strawberry tart

SERVES 6-8

375g (12oz) ready-made all-butter

shortcrust pastry

550g (18oz) small strawberries,

hulled and halved

3 tbsp redcurrant jelly

For the crème pâtissière

350ml (12fl oz) whole milk

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

4 large free-range egg yolks

100g (3½oz) golden caster sugar

25g (3 tbsp) plain fl our

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the

pastry to about 5mm (¼in) thick and use

it to line a 23cm (9in) loose-based fluted

tar t tin, trimming away any excess

pastry. Prick the base of the pastry case

with a fork, then pop the tin in the fridge

to chill for 30 minutes while you make

the crème pâtissière.

2 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas

Mark 4.

3 Put the milk and vanilla pod in a

saucepan set over a medium-high heat.

When the milk comes to the boil, turn

off the heat and leave to cool a little.

4 In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks

and sugar for around 10 minutes until

light and fluffy, then beat in the flour and

lemon zest.

5 Pour the warm milk slowly through a

sieve/strainer into the egg mixture a

little at a time, whisking between each

addition. Pour the mixture back into the

saucepan and bring to the boil again

over a low heat stirring all the while until

it thickens. Take off the heat and allow

the crème pâtissière to cool.

6 Now back to the pastry, which has

been cooling in the fridge. Line the

pastry case with baking parchment and

fill with baking beans. Put the tin on a

baking sheet and blind-bake for

15 minutes in the oven. Remove the

beans and parchment and cook for a

further 10 minutes until golden. If you

notice the edges starting to brown too

much, cover them with kitchen foil.

Leave for 5 minutes to cool, then pop the

pastry case out of the tin sides (leave the

base on the bottom of the tart) and

transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7 When the pastry is cool, spoon the

crème pâtissière into the tart case and

spread evenly. Arrange the strawberry

halves over the tart, starting in the

middle and layering concentric rings all

the way to the edge until all the crème

pâtissière is covered.

8 Finally, warm the redcurrant jelly with

2 tbsp water until melted, and brush

over the strawberries with a pastry

brush and leave to set for 2 minutes.

Pop the tart back into the tin (this makes

it easier to carr y) and pack carefully into

your cool box, or slice into por tions and

pack singly in sturdy boxes.

78 baking heaven JUNE WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM