French Strawberry Tart Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Cook and stir almonds in a skillet over medium high heat until fragrant and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add enough water to reserved strawberry liquid to equal 1 cup liquid.
• Stir 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir strawberry liquid into sugar mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is clear and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir strawberries and almonds into sugar mixture.
• Beat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
• Slice bread at 1 1/2-inch intervals about 3/4 of the way through. Cut a slit in the center of each slice to form a pocket, and fill each pocket with 1 rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Separate slices from loaf by cutting each slice the rest of the way through the loaf.
• Dip bread slices in egg mixture to coat completely.
• Melt butter on a griddle over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook bread slices on preheated griddle until golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes per side. Serve French toast with strawberry-almond mixture.

Steps:

• Roll out the puff pastry sheet. Place a 25-centimetre (9-inch) cake tin on the sheet of puff pastry and cut around the edges.
• Poke holes in the pastry with a fork and set aside.
• Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
• Prepare the strawberries by hulling them with a straw. Set aside.
• Pour the sugar in a large saucepan and cook over a medium heat, until the sugar has melted and reached a light brown colour.
• Stir in the butter until melted.
• Add the strawberries, coating evenly in the caramel.
• Arrange the strawberries in the buttered tin, followed by the puff pastry on top.
• Tuck the pastry down the sides of the tin.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
• Leave to cool for 1-2 hours, then invert onto a plate.
• Slice and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• First make your pastry. Place the flour and sugar in a food processor and whizz for thirty seconds. Turn the processor back on and add the chilled butter and finally the egg. If the pastry needs a little more liquid add a spot of water until the dough rolls cleanly round the bowl. Wrap your pastry in Clingfilm and chill for half an hour whilst you prepare the tartlet tins and strawberries.
• Taste one of your strawberries to judge their sweetness. If they are sweet and luscious, as fraises des bois generally are, they will only need hulling, rinsing and a final dressing with the sugar syrup. If they're a little too tart, rinse them, lay them on a plate and sprinkle with caster sugar to give them a bit of a boost.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Butter your barquette or round tart tins, take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out. Line each tin and prick the bottoms well. Bake in the oven for about fifteen to twenty minutes, but keep an eye on them, they may need pricking again. Leave to cool.
• Make a simple sugar syrup by boiling two tablespoons of caster sugar with the water for two minutes or so. Allow to cool. Mix the icing sugar & vanilla essence with the crème fraiche and chill.
• When you are ready to serve your barquettes/tarts, spread them with crème fraiche mixture; sit the strawberries on top and brush with the glaze.

Steps:

• Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth, but not fluffy. Mix in the egg until combined, then add the flour. Bring together with your hands to form a dough. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Dust a surface with flour and roll out the pastry to a 26cm circle (or 3cm bigger than your tin). Line a 23cm fluted tart tin with the pastry, leaving an overhang. Prick the base with a fork to stop any air bubbles forming. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the pastry case with a scrunched up sheet of baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for 15-20 mins more until crisp and golden. Leave in the tin to cool.
• To make the crème pâtissière, heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring up to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar in a bowl for 3 mins until pale, then stir in the cornflour until combined. Pour a quarter of the hot cream over the egg mix, whisking continuously, then pour the warm egg mix into the pan with the rest of the cream. Stir over a low-medium heat for 5-8 mins until the crème pâtissière thickens. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 15 mins, whisking occasionally. Gradually whisk in the butter until smooth, cover and put in the fridge until needed.
• Beat the strawberry jam to loosen it, then spread over the bottom of the pastry case. Put the crème pâtissière into a piping bag and pipe in a spiral on top of the jam. Arrange the strawberries on top in a pattern. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan with 1 tbsp water until warm. Whisk to loosen the jam, then leave to cool slightly. Brush over the top of the strawberries.