Shortbread Crust: 5.3oz soft butter cubed 3.5oz confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar 1oz almond flour 1 egg 9oz all-purpose flour 1 pinch of salt
Vanilla Cream: 17 fl oz milk 4 egg yolks 1.7oz corn starch 2.6oz sugar 1 vanilla bean 4 fl oz heavy cream
1-Prepare the dough: Crack the egg into a bowl, add the sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the flour, the almond flour and a pinch of salt and mix everything together. You should obtain a sandy mixture. Toss the butter cubes into that mixture and work with your hands until well combined and a sticky ball forms. Flour the dough lightly on the outside and press into the bottom and up sides of a floured 12-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2-Prepare the vanilla cream: Heat the milk in a small saucepan. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat off, split the vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a knife and add its content to the milk. Cover and let steep for a few seconds. Put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the corn starch and whisk again. Add the hot milk in a slow and steady stream whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes, until thick. Let cool and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3-Bake the crust Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator, place it in the middle of the oven and blind bake about 30 minutes until the crust is golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.
4-Prepare the strawberries: Remove the leaves from the strawberries, wash them thoroughly and pat dry with a towel. Depending on the size of the strawberries cut them in half vertically or slice them nicely.
5-Finish the vanilla cream Beat the heavy cream in a bowl, using an electric whisk until the cream stands in stiff peaks. Remove the vanilla mixture from the refrigerator, fold it into the whipped cream.
6-Assemble the tart Spread the vanilla cream over the crust. Arrange the strawberries nicely on the cream and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
"I just love strawberry season! It means that the days are warmer and sunnier and that we can finally enjoy delicious early summer fruits and vegetables. This strawberry tart is the perfect dessert at this time of the year. The crust and cream are not too sweet or heavy and are just here to accompany the strawberries and enhance their taste but the strawberries are clearly the stars of this dessert. You can prepare the crust and the vanilla cream the day before but I would suggest to assemble the tart just a few hours before serving it. To vary the pleasures, you can also prepare individual tartlets with the same recipes or replace the strawberries with other fruits such as berries, pineapple, mango, …)." ~Nathalie