Heaven With Strawberries

Hello! First post in my new blog! I guess I should say some inspirational words about why I made it etc. Let's cut to the chase; I like to bake and take pictures, that's why I made it. I want to try and develop my skills and get feedback and comments from people who actually know what they're doing, and I just like to go on and on about things. So enjoy!

In honour of my new blog I baked a strawberry tart, it seemed appropriate. I have wanted to bake one of these for ages and now seemed as good a time as any, especially since they were selling two packets of strawberries for five euro in Dunnes. The recipe is taken from Williams and Sonoma’s ‘Essentials of Baking - which is one of my favourite baking books that I own. The recipes are really good and deliver exactly what they pro mice, plus the step by step instructions are really clear and easy to follow.
I altered the recipe slightly, using patisserie cream instead of the suggested mascarpone cream filling and I had to use vanilla essence rather than a pod as they are IMPOSSIBLE to get.

Filled tart case

The jam glaze really helps to brighten up the fruit

And a shot of the yummy, if not slightly squidgy, inside.

Recipe: Strawberry Tart with Patisserie Creme

Rich Tart Pastry:

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups (200g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (125g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 2 cm pieces

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon cream

Method:

In a food processor combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Pulse one or two times to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse 7-8 times until the mixture forms large, coarse, crumbs the size of large peas.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork, then stir in the cream until blended. With the motor running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough begins to come together, but does not form a ball.

On a work surface, shape the dough into a 6 inch (15cm) disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes.

Remove the disk from refrigerator. If it is too hard to roll out leave it to stand at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Lightly dust a rolling pin and work surface with flour.

Roll out the dough and line a 9 inch (23cm) tart pan, using a double crust on the edges. Freeze tart until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 Fahrenheit). Line the frozen tart shell with aluminium foil, fill with dried beans/rice/baking weights.

Bake until crust dries out, around 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit)

Remove foil and weights. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool.

Pastry Cream (Créme Patisserie):

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups (375 ml) whole milk

1 vanilla bean, halved length ways and scraped

4 large egg yolks

½ cup (125g) sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method:

In a saucepan over a medium heat warm the milk and vanilla bean pod and scrapings until small bubbles appear along the edges of the pan. Remove from heat, then remove the pod.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar until smooth. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to the boil and thickens, about three minutes. Cook for a further minute. Pour through a fine-meish sieve into a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the wrap. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

3 tablespoons seedless strawberry or raspberry jam.

About 25 strawberries, hulled.

To assemble:
Melt the jam in a microwave on medium power. Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream. Carefully arrange the strawberries, pointed end up and close together, on top of the filling. Brush strawberries with melted jam. Refrigerate until cold.

I thought this was a really, really nice tart, and was quite proud of it if I do say so myself. The cream wasn't too rich but still creamy and satisfying. I would have perhaps liked it to be a little more solid to prevent the contense of the tart sliding out of the case once cut, but sacrafices must be made.