Strawberry Tart

I have a good friend who was born in France. I am inspired by her culture and so I decided to cook something, French. Since I have a medium sized sweet tooth, I decided to go with a dessert.  Here is the recipe for Strawberry Tart, a popular and delicious French pastry.

• 1 pastry shell (shortbread pastry is preferable)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups strawberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced

   

Fit the pie shell to a 11 x 4 inch rectangular baking pan. Prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork in several places. Place baking paper on top of the pastry shell and fill it with a 1/2 inch layer of dry beans (the beans will keep the pastry from popping up while it bakes). Cook for 15 minutes at 400°F then remove beans and bake for another 10 minutes or until browned.

While the pastry shell bakes, you can start working on the filling.
Warm the milk over medium heat and stir in half of the sugar. Beat the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until they are light and thick. Whisk in the cornstarch. Then, slowly whisk in the warm milk and pour it all back into the pan.

Continue heating until almost boiling and the cream has thickened, whisking continually. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

   

Let the filling cool than spread it in the cooled pie shell.  Cut the strawberries into slices and place them neatly on top of the pie. If you’d like, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve cool.

 

Bon Appétit!