How to make a French strawberry tart from scratch with lush pistachio pastry cream. A useful dessert recipe for using up 5 egg yolks. Recipe adapted from Jill Colonna's book, Teatime in Paris.
24cm (9 inch) non-stick tart tin/ring or 8 individual tartlet tins/rings
Ingredients
Classic Sweet Pastry
125g (4½oz)butter, unsaltedsoftened
75g (3oz)icing/powdered sugar
¼teaspoonsalt (fleur de sel)
1eggorganic
½teaspoonvanilla powder (or extract)
240g (8½oz)plain (all-purpose) flourType 45
Pistachio Pastry Cream
400ml (14fl oz)whole milk
1vanilla pod/bean
5egg yolksorganic
60g (2.5oz)sugar
2tablespooncornflour/cornstarch
1-2teaspoonpistachio paste(see NOTES)
15g (1 tbsp)butter (unsalted)
Garnish
1punnetfresh strawberrieshulled and halved
Instructions
Sweet Pastry Base
Using a stand mixer with a paddle beater (or simply by hand), mix the butter, salt and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the other ingredients until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes for ease of use. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/360°F/Gas 4.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a 28cm/11 inch circle with 5mm thickness and transfer to a 24cm (9 inch) non-stick tart tin.Press into the tart tin and trim off excess pastry with your fingers or roll over the edges with a rolling pin (any extra dough can make another tartlet so no waste).Prick the pastry with a fork and top with baking paper (cut to size – I use the same one several baking sessions for convenience) and fill with washed coins, rice or dried beans to blind bake the pastry.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown then remove the baking beans. Leave to cool, remove from the tin and set aside.
Pistachio Filling
Boil the milk with the vanilla pod in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse covered for about 10 minutes. Remove the pod, scrape out the seeds and add to the milk.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar and gradually add the cornflour. Whisk until light and creamy. Pour on the hot milk and transfer back to the saucepan, whisking continuously over a medium heat until thickened then whisk in the butter.
Take off the heat, whisk in the pistachio paste and leave to cool. Place some cling film directly on to the pastry cream, to avoid a film forming on top (you don't want to whisk this in later, otherwise you'll end up with a lumpy bumpy cream!) Cover with the film again and chill in the fridge.
Assembly
Cut the strawberries in half. Fill the pastry base with the pastry cream then place the strawberries on top.
Notes
If you like more pistachio in the filling, add more pistachio paste.If using bought pistachio paste, ensure it is natural with 100% pistachios with no added sugars or oils, otherwise make your own.Pistachio Paste: to make your own pistachio paste, whizz 100g (3 ½oz) unsalted pistachios in a grinder or grind in a mortar and pestle. Mix together with 25g (1oz) ground almonds (almond flour), 50g/2oz sugar, 2 drops of pistachio or almond extract and a tablespoon of water.I highly recommend using the measures in grams & ml (instead of cups) for more accuracy and better, consistent results
Keyword French strawberry tart, pistachio pastry cream, strawberry tart