| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea-size pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, topped and sliced
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Special Equipment: 1 pound dried beans, 10-inch tart pan
- For the crust:
- In the food processor combine the butter flour, almonds and salt and pulse, pulse, pulse until it looks like grated cheese, as I like to call the Parmigiano stage. Add the egg yolk and half the water and pulse; the dough should start to come together. If it does not, add the remaining water and pulse until the dough forms into a ball. Dump the “doughball” onto a floured work surface and using the heel of your hand, “schmear” it across the work surface. Repeat this process 1 to 2 more times, then form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 to 45 minutes.
- *TIP- this can be done up to a week in advance or frozen for a longer time.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- To roll the crust:
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before rolling to let it soften. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Lay the dough in the tart pan. Make a small “doughball” with a little of the dough that is hanging over the edge of the tart pan. Dip the dough ball in flour and use is to carefully push the dough into the corners of the tart pan. Once the dough has been pushed into the corners of the tart pan, use the rolling pin to roll over the top edge of the tart pan to cut a clean crisp edge. Line the tart with aluminum foil, be sure to push it into the corners. This will keep the sides of the tart tall and straight and able to hold the filling. Fill the tart with the dried beans. Place in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes. The dough should be cooked through and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool.
- For the pastry cream:
- Place the heavy cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds and pod in a saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil over low heat. While the cream is coming to a boil, combine the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and the cornstarch and milk in another bowl. Beat with a whisk to a homogeneous mixture, no big lumps of egg white! When the cream comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. *Whisk half of the cream into the egg/sugar mixture and then IMMEDIATELY whisk it back into the pan with the hot cream.
- *This is called tempering and will allow you to combine boiling cream and eggs without making scrambled eggs.
- Return the pan to a medium heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch/milk mixture. Bring this to a boil to thicken the pastry cream. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. It is necessary to bring this mixture to a boil to cook the starch. If the mixture is not brought to a boil the mixture will feel starchy and gritty. The desired outcome is the consistency of vanilla pudding. YUM! Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill. This can be done really quickly over an ice bath.
- To assemble the tart:
- Fill the tart shell with the chilled pastry cream. Top with the sliced strawberries. You can arrange the strawberries in circles or in lines; it’s up to you! Just make it look pretty. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
- Berry delicious!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 670 |
| Total Fat | 47 g |
| Saturated Fat | 26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 56 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 36 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 227 mg |
| Sodium | 80 mg |
Reviews
what if you do not have a food processor to make the dough,could I use my blender and take out the middle piece?
Very good tart, and the pastry was wonderful. Never had a problem!
Made this today for the first time. Visually perfect! Tasted great! Tart crust…ehhh. Like many others who commented on this recipe, I agree that the dough was WAY too sticky; kinda like working with school paste. After many additions of flour it finally held together, but I still couldn’t roll it out; I had to mold it into the tart tin.All my ingredients were ice cold, so that wasn’t the problem.I’m no novice at pastry, so I have to believe there is a misstep in the recipe somewhere. I give it 5 stars for flavor and appearance, but the next time I think I’ll use a cookie-like crust that I know is successful. In spite of the less than wonderful crust, I will most definitely make this again. Delicious.
This was so good. I read the reviews before I made it so I was cautious not to add to much water. I toasted whole almonds then added them to my processor to grind before adding flour. I only ended up adding 2 tablespoon of water and it was perfect. The cream is delicious. Great pudding recipe. Nice spring and summer dessert.
I tried this recipe today for the first time and absolutely loved it. The crust was a little sticky, but like Anne said, add a little flour if necessary, but also said that another day it might be perfect, so you work with it. The cream did thicken fast, but I had no problem with it and after putting it in the crust, it seemed to fill in and was absolutely delightful. I had no fresh fruit, so I put Cherry pie filling on top and that helped bring the richness down a little, but still quite rich. I thought the cream was soooooo good, almost tasted like Creme Bruele (which I love her recipe for that also. Thanks Anne and I love watching you, you always put a smile on my face.
like the others said ..crust was way way to sticky ..don’t think I’ll try this again 🙁
This recipe is unlike any other Strawberry Tart. I was suprised to find that there was no sugar in the crust, and I love the addition of the almonds. The pastry cream stiffened up beautifully. I kept my strawberries whole instead of slicing them, it’s a beautiful presentation and the mouth-feel of a whole berry in cream is fabulous. Chef Ann you ROCK!!
Unlike most people who have reviewed this recipe, my cream thickened up too quickly. This is because I had the heat up too high. However, the end product was absolutely delicious.
I have made this recipe many times and it produces a marvelous tart. The did learn that you should take your time warming the cream with the cornstarch so you don’t scorch the bottom. If you do, you will end up with freckles in your pastry cream. Also, for even more fun, save your vanilla beans, dry them and put them in a few cups of sugar in an air tight container. Voila, vanilla sugar. Then, use that along WITH a nice new vanilla bean when making your next tart. I found it to be really nice. Enjoy!
This was awsome. I make it for a party and it went so fast that some people did not even get a chance to taste it. Being Italian the filling is like my Italian cream recipe except for the heavy cream YUM!!!!! I will make this all the time!!
Thanks Anne
Thanks Anne