Eating In // Strawberry Tart

As with most fruit tarts that you will come across in your life, this one is composed of crust (in this case puff pastry was used), pastry cream, and fresh fruit. Yes, this dessert is very simple and moderately easy to make. It is so fun to use fruits that are in season. We got these strawberries from a local farm. If you haven't had a farm fresh strawberry, you must. The taste is unreal good. Now let's get to that recipe. 

The Goods:

Serves 9 

  • Frozen puff pastry, baked  (this is a good one) 
  • 1 batch of pastry cream
  • 1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced

For the pastry cream:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbls creme fraiche ( store bought or homemade)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until it has been incorporated. Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard vanilla bean.
  3. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and creme fraiche, and beat on medium speed until the butter melts and the mixture cools, about 5 minutes.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Just before using, beat on low speed until smooth (you can also whisk by hand).
  5. To start the assembly, flatten out the already baked puff pastry to make a bed for the cream. Pour the cream over the top of the crust and the arrange the sliced strawberries on the cream. Slice and serve. 

Recipe by: Megan Forbes

Photos by: Christina Hussey

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