Tarte aux Fraises classique (Printable)
Pâte sablée, crème pâtissière onctueuse et fraises fraîches nappées d'abricot — un dessert printanier classique.
# What You Need:
→ Sweet Pastry Crust
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced
03 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 pinch salt
→ Pastry Cream Filling
06 - 2 cups whole milk
07 - 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
09 - 4 large egg yolks
10 - 1/3 cup cornstarch
11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Topping
12 - 1 pound fresh strawberries
13 - 2 tablespoons apricot jam
14 - 1 tablespoon water
# How To Make It:
01 - Combine flour, salt, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add cold diced butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse sand. Incorporate the egg and mix just until dough forms. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough and line a 9- to 10-inch tart pan. Dock the base with a fork. Cover with parchment, fill with pie weights, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, bake an additional 10 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely.
03 - Heat milk with vanilla just to a simmer. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale, then whisk in cornstarch. Gradually pour hot milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Off heat, stir in butter. Cover directly with plastic wrap and chill.
04 - Rinse, hull, and slice strawberries as desired.
05 - Spread cooled pastry cream evenly in the tart shell. Arrange strawberries decoratively over the cream.
06 - Heat apricot jam with water until smooth. Brush strawberries gently with glaze for shine. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- This dessert not only flourishes with every juicy bite but also looks spectacular with very little decorating skill required.
- Once you master the pastry and crème pâtissière, you'll always have a way to impress at picnics and dinner parties alike.
02 -
- If your pastry shrinks or cracks, patch it with spare dough scraps before baking – rushing here costs you later.
- Brushing the strawberries too early or with jam that’s too hot will make them look droopy rather than shiny and perky.
03 -
- Never skip chilling the pastry dough – it’s the single step that saves you from soggy bottoms and tough crusts.
- Adding a spoon of apricot jam to the crème pâtissière can amplify the fruitiness in a subtle, delightful way.