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Fresh Strawberries and Custard Tart

Fruit tart is one thing that I have been wanting to make since a very long time. It’s not entirely because of the taste I must admit, though the taste is a big plus no doubt. I absolutely love the way tarts are decorated. I often go to my local grocery store’s bakery and look at their beautiful display of tarts and pies. 12 inches to mini tarts, intricately decorated with glistening fresh fruits and chocolate drizzles is a sight to see.

This is the first time I tried making a tart in mini pie pans. After going through my Pinterest dessert board I realized that one can get pretty creative with the tart.

 

You may use a pre-baked crust available at food stores for ease, but please don’t! as it just won’t taste the same as the one you bake at home and did I mention the smell? the way the house smells when you bake this crust should be the reason alone for you try this once, at least. The recipe for the crust is adapted from Food & Wine. It makes four mini tarts crusts or one 10 inch crust.
For the filling, I chose vanilla custard, made from custard powder. Following the recipe on the box, I cooked 2 cups of custard to a thick consistency. This amount was good enough for four mini tarts, the same amount should be good enough for the 10-inch tart as well. If you aren’t a big fan of custard there are so many other choices to choose from, like chocolate ganache, creme cheese filling, sweetened mascarpone, or mousse.

 

 

Strawberry Tart

  • Servings: 12-14
  • Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 cups of custard
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved (for the topping)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp honey ( to drizzle on the tart)
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. (melt-with a teaspoon of shortening in the microwave until soft, then stir) optional
  • 1/2 cup chocolate glaze. (chocolate chips or any chocolate, for example, Hershey’s kisses, melt with l/4 cup milk or whipped cream in microwave and stir) optional

Directions

  1. In a bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and wheat flour with the cinnamon and salt.
  2. In a standing mixer, using the paddle attachment or in a bowl using an electric beater, beat the butter, light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar at medium speed until fluffy, for about a minute.
  3. Beat in the honey.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the flour mixture at low speed, just until incorporated. The dough will be crumbly.
  5. Use a piece of parchment paper to press dough evenly in the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
  6. Prick dough all over with a fork.
  7. Bake for 16 to 17 minutes, until crust is golden. Cool completely on wire rack.

TO ASSEMBLE THE TARTS:

  • Spoon the custard into cooled tart shells and spread into an even layer with a back of a spoon. Arrange strawberries over custard in a decorative pattern. Place honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Use a brush to brush glaze over strawberries.
  • When the glaze is set and no longer sticky, pour melted chocolates on the strawberries.
  • Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

 

CategoriesBaking