Tarte aux Fraises (Printable)
Pâte sablée, crème pâtissière vanillée et fraises nappées d'abricot — parfait pour le printemps.
# What You’ll Need:
→ For the shortcrust pastry
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced
03 - 2/3 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 pinch salt
→ For the pastry cream
06 - 2 cups whole milk
07 - 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
09 - 4 large egg yolks
10 - 1/3 cup cornstarch
11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ For the garnish
12 - 1 pound fresh strawberries
13 - 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
14 - 1 tablespoon water
# Steps:
01 - Combine flour, salt, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add cold butter and rub with fingertips until a crumb texture forms. Work in the egg until a homogeneous dough is achieved. Shape into a ball, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough and press into a 9–10 inch tart pan. Prick the base with a fork. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, bake 10 more minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely.
03 - Heat milk with vanilla until just simmering. Whisk yolks with sugar, then stir in cornstarch. Gradually whisk in a little hot milk, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat, whisk in butter. Cool completely, covering the surface to prevent a skin.
04 - Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries as desired.
05 - Spread cooled pastry cream evenly in the tart shell. Arrange strawberries decoratively on top.
06 - Heat apricot preserves with water until fluid, then strain if needed. Brush lightly over arranged strawberries using a pastry brush.
07 - Refrigerate the tart for at least 1 hour before slicing.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The pastry base stays crisp underneath its creamy filling, a detail youll appreciate with every bite.
- This tart looks like it took hours to make but comes together easily with a few patient pauses.
02 -
- If you skip chilling the dough, it will shrink in the oven and lose its shape.
- Warm pastry cream will melt the butter in the crust, so always let it cool completely first.
03 -
- Lining the tart shell with a thin dusting of ground almonds or semolina helps keep the crust crisp under the pastry cream.
- Freshly glazed fruit holds its shine best if you avoid over-brushing; one light layer does the trick.