Strawberry tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually short crust; the filling may be sweet or savory, though modern tarts are usually fruit based, sometimes with custard. Impress your guests at your next gathering with an eye-catching strawberry tart. Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients, it comes together pretty easily.

Ingredients

Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
3000gm butter or cold margarine (both yield excellently)
1/8 tsp salt
2tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup icy cold water

Strawberry pastry cream

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1tsp lemon zest grated
3tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/3 strawberry puree

Decoration

1 cup fresh strawberries
Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

Put the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a bowl. Rub well with hands or use food processor until the texture is coarse and resembles a coarse cornmeal or breadcrumbs.
Flatten the ball slightly, wrap it tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the strawberry pastry cream.
In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, grated lemon zest and flour (mix well).
Put the remaining milk in a saucepan over moderate heat till the milk comes to a simmer.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until the cream has reached the desired consistency.
Add the strawberry puree to prevent a skin from forming, press a cling film wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream, refrigerate until chilled.

Finish the tart crust

Preheat the oven to 180degree Celcius
on a floured work surface, roll out the pastry about 1/2 a centimeter thick
Place it in two 5-inch tart pans and carefully press the dough along the bottom and sides of the pans. With a rolling pin or with your fingers, press along the edge of the pan to remove the excess dough.
With a fork, prick the bottom of the pastry shell, bake the crust for 25-30minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling
Hull the strawberries and slice them 1/2cm thick
Remove the strawberry pastry cream from the fridge, whisk until smooth and spread an even layer in the crust
Starting from the outside and working your way to the center of the tart, place the strawberries in an overlapping circular pattern
Serve the strawberry tart immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve