Lazy Summer Strawberry Tart

Nothing says summer quite like sweet and ripe strawberries, enjoyed in the quiet shade of a lazy afternoon.

And when it comes to summer desserts, I like to keep things simple too. This strawberry tart has become a summer staple in our house, and it’s no surprise as to why! The creamy custard and sweet fruit work together perfectly, and it’s light enough to enjoyed on a hot day, but still rich enough to feel truly decadent. 

If I’m feeling especially lazy, I sometimes buy a ready made pastry case from the supermarket, but let’s keep that between us, eh? I figure that if you made the creme patissiere and glazed the strawberries yourself, it still counts as home made, right?!

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5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Tart

A super simple strawberry tart, with all the flavours of summer.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Servings: 10

Calories: 294kcal

Ingredients

  

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TART SHELL

• 100 g unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
• 80 g icing sugar (sifted)
• 40 g egg (cold, beaten)
• ½ tsp salt
• 200 g plain flour (sifted)

CREME PATISSIERE

• 300 ml milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 75 g sugar (caster)
• 30 g cornflour

FRUIT TOPPING:

• 100 g apricot jam
• 2 tbsp water
• 400 g Strawberries

Instructions

TART SHELL

• Beat the butter with an electric hand beater until just soft. Add the icing sugar & beat until smooth.
• Stir salt into the beaten egg, then inroporate into the butter mixture in two additions.
• Lastly, add the flour, then knead lightly until the dough is homogenous. Press into a flat disc and wrap in cling film to chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat your oven to 165°C
• Roll out the dough into a large circle, about the thickness of about 3mm. Take your tart tin (8 or 9 inches), and ensure that the dough will be large enough to line it.
• Using a rolling pin, lift the pastry into the tart tin, the lift up the edges to ensure that pastry has reached the corners of the tin. Use your thumb to press it into all the grooves, then use a sharp knife to trim off the excess, level with the tin. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Use a fork to dock the base of the pastry case, then line with layer of baking parchment, and fill with rice. Gently press the rice into the corners, filling the pastry case as completely as you can.
• Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the clingfilm and tart ring.
• Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until pleasingly browned. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Creme Patisserie

• Heat milk until just simmering in a saucepan.
• In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale in colour. Add the cornflour, and whisk again until smooth.
• Pour a splash of the hot milk into the egg mixture, and whisk vigorously. Slowly incorporate the rest of the milk, whisking the whole time. Then return everything to the saucepan and place back on the heat.
• Whisk continuously until the pastry cream starts to thicken, then remove from the heat and whisk vigerously until smooth.
• Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl to store, covering the surface directly with some clingfilm to prevent it forming a skin. Allow to cool completely in the fridge.
• Whisk the pastry cream thoroughly before using, to ensure it is nice and smooth.

NEUTRAL GLAZE

• Place the apricot jam and water in a saucepan, and heat until melted.
• Turn off the heat, and sieve into a bowl, then allow to cool to the temperature of a comfortably hot bath before using (about 35-40c).

ASSEMBLY

• Pipe or spread the creme patisserie over the base of the tart shell.
• Hull the strawberries and arrange on top of the creme patisserie.
• Brush over the neutral glaze, and refridgerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 144mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 418IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1mg

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