| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 tarts |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 tarts |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 2 tablespoons cold shortening (recommended: Crisco)
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 2 cups Pastry Cream, recipe follows
- 2 pints whole strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1/3 cup apricot jelly
- 3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, halved, optional
- 5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups scalded milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Cognac
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don’t stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
- With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 359 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 135 mg |
| Sodium | 121 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 359 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 135 mg |
| Sodium | 121 mg |
Reviews
This was an amazing dessert and a great way to show off some special strawberries. The cream was fantastic, foolproof recipe and it was so silky. As many reviewers said the crust was more like a shortbread – although I did not have Crisco to use, it was still really tasty. I appreciated her comments about working thru when you thought is was curdling, as well as not to stretch the dough – I call this a success
I was worried about making the cream but it came together great and was heavenly.
I was not crazy about the dough but the family liked it.
I made it in a large pie pan as I don’t have individual ones, and of course it becomes messy once sliced – but it’s no fault of the recipe.
I was not crazy about the dough but the family liked it.
I made it in a large pie pan as I don’t have individual ones, and of course it becomes messy once sliced – but it’s no fault of the recipe.
This reminds me of my favorite dessert in a restaurant that no longer exists. They did the cream layered in a tall glass with sugared pecans, strawberries, little squares of pound cake & whipped cream. I use the cream to make a version & sometimes just do the cream in a bowl with strawberries on top. Soooo good!
These were delicious. The pastry cream is perfect. I will make it again just to serve over berries. The crust is delicious. My tart pans are tiny portions, so I needed to reduce the oven temp and cooking time. totally worth the steps to make them. All the ingredients are common. In this quarantine time it was great to find a recipe that used things I had in the house.
“the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. It certainly did and there is no way it would pour through a sieve, even after adding the butter, cognac and vanilla. I also found the custard too sweet for my taste, however, the pastry was just how I like it.
OMG I made these tarts so delicious !!! My husband and I also ate the pastry cream with fruit and let me tell you it is SO GOOD!! HE HAS ME JUST MAKE THE CREAM!!!! YOU CAN USE THE PASTRY CREAM FOR LOTS OF DESSERTS!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING INA MAKES!!!!! DELISH!!!
Excellent pastry cream recipe and spot-on directions. I’ve been looking for perfect custard to use for a variety of recipes — to accompany fresh fruit, cupcake filling, tart filling. Ina is Amazing!
Hi Ina
Can I substitute the sugar confectioners with Xylitol?
Thanks
I bake constantly and I have to say this was one of the most beautiful desserts I’ve ever done. However, I found it to be very rich and too sweet for my taste. I even substituted the sugar for less than 1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar. it was still too sweet. Additionally, I had trouble with the cream getting thick and after 20 minutes of constantly stirring on low, I cranked the heat up and instantly it thickened. My crust was a little hard and I made it exactly like Ina did with the food processor. I will definitely try these again making some alterations. This would most definitely WOW your guests.