Strawberry Tart with Almond Shortbread Crust

When I was growing up, we had a strawberry patch in our garden. What started off as an inspired, if not overly-romantic idea, soon became an overgrown chore that threatened to take over a good portion of the yard. There were weeds to pull, runners to contain, and insects to fight off.

Most of the time, the strawberries weren’t anything to brag about—small, funny looking and only partially ripened. There were days where we seriously questioned the whole enterprise. But every now and then, we would find a spectacular berry-- big and completely red, just begging to be eaten right in the garden. And the strawberry patch would regain its status as The Best Idea Ever.

This strawberry tart recipe was a bid to use up various leftover ingredients in my kitchen. A handful of almond meal in the crust, and that last bit of buttermilk for the pastry cream. The buttermilk adds an interesting tang to the pastry cream, but traditional milk works nicely as well.

The whole process is a bit involved, but each component is relatively fast and can be made ahead of time--just assemble everything prior to serving. You can also use store bought pie crust or frozen puff pastry for even faster assembly.

Strawberry Tart with Almond Shortbread Curst

Almond Shortbread Crust

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup almond meal

1/3 cup icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

grated zest of 1 large lemon

¼ tsp salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 large egg, beaten, cold.

¼ cup ice water (if needed)

Apricot jam (optional)

Yield: 9” round tart or 14”x5”rectangular tart

In a medium bowl, cut cold butter into flour and almond meal using a pastry blender, two knives, or in a food processor. Blend until pea size lumps form.

Add the cold egg and mix until the dough starts to come together when pinched. It should not be wet or sticky. If dough is still crumbly, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time

Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, gather the edges creating a ball. Knead and press the dough a few times while wrapped in plastic to mix all the components. It will be pretty crumbly at first, and come together after a few turns. While wrapped, flatten the dough into a round disc or rectangle depending on the shape of your tart tray.

Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight for better flavour. Dough can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to a month.

Roll out the dough on a well floured surface to 0.5 cm or 1/5 inch thickness. Transfer to tart pan, chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 325° F/160° C. Line the tart shell with foil and fill with baking weights, beans or rice. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and weights. Continue baking, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until pale golden.

(Optional) Melt about ¼ cup of apricot jam in the microwave. Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the surface of the tart with the melted jam to keep the crust from getting soggy. Cool the tart completely before filling.

Buttermilk Diplomat Cream

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tbsp corn starch

¾ cups scalded buttermilk

¼ tsp vanilla

½ tbsp butter

¼ cup + ½ tbsp heavy whipping cream

Yield: 1 cup

Note: The cooking times for this recipe are based off of my experience making pastry cream in a wok. Unconventional, I know, but for the longest time I only owned a wok and a rice cooker. While I have expanded my collection of pots and pans, I still prefer to make custards and creams in a wok. It’s easier to stir, and everything cooks faster with the large surface area.

In a large heat proof measuring cup, heat milk in microwave until it just begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Let milk cool until just hot to the touch.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolk and sugar on medium high speed for about 3-4 minutes, until very thick and ribbons form. Reduce speed to low and add cornstarch.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan (or flat bottom wok) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula for 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens. After it begins to thicken, large curd-like lumps will start to appear. When the first lumps appear, whisk vigorously for another 2-4 minutes or until the custard comes together and becomes uniformly thick, like a pudding.

Take the custard off of the heat. Stir in the vanilla, butter and heavy cream.

For an extra smooth texture, press the pastry cream through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold. At this stage, you have pastry cream. Whip it loosen it up just prior to use. Pastry cream can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for several months.

I personally find the pastry cream a little rich, so I like to lighten it up with some whipped cream. This is now called a Diplomat Cream. The ratio of pastry cream to whipping cream can vary depending on your preferences. Here I’ve used a 2:1 ratio.

In a chilled bowl, beat ¼ cup chilled whipping cream with a mixer until soft peaks form.

Gently fold this whipped cream into 1 cup of pastry cream to lighten it.

Assembly of Strawberry Tart

Fill the tart shell with diplomat cream or pastry cream.

Wash and dry about 2 dozen strawberries, and depending on the size, slice them in half or thirds and arrange decoratively on top of the cream. This is best served immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator overnight.

(Optional) Brush melted apricot jam over the strawberries. This gives the berries a nice shine, and keeps the fruit from drying out.