Italian Strawberry Tart Recipes

STRAWBERRY TARTS

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.

STRAWBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• To Make Glaze: Blend the sugar, cornstarch, and salt; stir into apple juice. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Spread a small quantity of the glaze over the bottoms of the shells. Arrange washed and hulled fresh berries over the glaze, slicing if necessary to fit into the tarts. Spoon remaining glaze carefully over the berries, covering them well. Chill for 2 to 4 hours. Serve garnished with whipped cream if desired.

STRAWBERRY AND ITALIAN CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor or by hand.
• Add the lemon zest and butter and whizz, or rub together with your hands, until the mixture looks crumbly.
• Add the egg yolk and mix in, then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough sticks together. It should be a little crumbly and not sticky.
• Put the dough in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.
• When you want to use the dough, take it out of the fridge (of course!). Roll it out on the bench to the size of your dish. Don't forget to grease the pie dish with butter before putting the dough in it. Try to roll out the dough as thinly as possible to get a nice crispy crust. Blind bake (that means put some foil on top of the dough and some rice on top of the foil) for about 15 -20 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF) until the dough is golden-brown. You may have to take the foil and rice off for the last 5 minutes to let all the crust brown well.
• Put all the ingredients in a pot and heat at medium heat on the stove top, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• Stir and stir until it has a "thick" consistency. When you pull the whisk through the crema, it should leave a trail behind it that levels out again very slowly. The mixture should be almost thick enough to pick up with the whisk.
• Pour the crema into the baked pie crust and leave to cool and set.
• Rinse and halve or quarter the strawberries (depending on how big they are). Now it's up to you to use your artistic abilities to decorate the top of it!

ITALIAN STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a spring-form pan.
• 2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
• 3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and milk. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir by hand until just moistened. Do not overmix.
• 4. Spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press strawberry halves deeply into the dough in a circular pattern of 2 or 3 rings. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream and strawberries, if desired.

STRAWBERRY TART

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.