Strawberry Tart - Tarte Au Fraises

Make the most of seasonal strawberries in the summertime with this refreshing tart

I'm quite often inspired by French baking, especially their patissiere which I find can be overlooked in British shops. I love to make tarts, I find pastry a little challenging but very enjoyable and the French tarte aux fraises is a simple yet elegant dessert that I've been desperate to make. I say simple because the flavours are mild but marry well together. The base is buttery and not too sweet, a creamy vanilla custard filling and of course sweet, juicy strawberries which are at their prime in the British summertime. A vegan crème pâtissière I have found to be a LOT easier than the ones I'm used to making at university. If you get that wrong, you're left with lumps and a burnt mass of wobbly custard that is neither appealing to the eye or mouth. However this vegan recipe is gorgeously easy, you just need a good whisk and patience :) 

I made one of these tarts for my mum's work colleagues and she said that not only could they not tell that it was vegan, but it was hard for her to grab a slice before it all went! I love to hear good feedback and I hope you all enjoy this tart as much as they did. 

If you love strawberries and tarts....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Strawberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake
• Rhubarb and Custard Tart
• Bakewell Tart

Recipe

Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Notes:

• Make sure to follow the method of all components precisely so that the dough has the right firmness and does not crack or become too soft to handle. 
• I find the best soya milk to use is an organic or sweetened one as it is slightly thicker with less water in it and makes a beautiful pastry cream. 

Ingredients

• Pâté Sucrée (pastry)
• 220g Plain flour
• 90g Vegan butter - I used Flora unsalted
• 75g Icing sugar
• 30ml Soya milk
• 10g Cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• Crème Pâtissière  (pastry cream)
• 250ml Soya milk
• 40g Caster sugar
• 25g Cornstarch
• 60g Butter, softened or melted
• 1tsp Vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 500g Strawberries

Method

1. First make the pâté sucrée (pastry). 
2. In a large bowl, work the cold (but not rock hard) butter with a metal or wooden spoon just until pliable. Sift in the powdered sugar and salt. Stir until smooth but don’t cream them, the goal isn’t to incorporate air.
3. Stir in the cornstarch and milk, the mixture will split, that’s normal. Add in 100g of the flour to smooth it out.
4. Add in the rest of the flour and mix just until a dough starts to form, then go in with your hands to finish incorporating it. Once you get a smooth dough, stop mixing. You don’t want to overwork it.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for at least one hour.
6. Once you’re ready to use it, preheat your oven to 180°C and remove the dough to soften a little about 20 minutes (if its warm  in your kitchen this shouldn't take long, but you don't want the dough to be too soft to work with nor too hard when rolling as it will crack). 
7. Roll out the dough on a floured surface or between two pieces of parchment to about 4mm and bigger than the diameter of your pie dish. If the dough starts to soften too much, pop it in the fridge for about 10 minutes before continuing.
8. Roll the dough up with the rolling pin then drape it over the pie dish. Press the dough into the dish evenly, making sure it gets into the grooves around the sides. Leave any overhang untouched, this will be trimmed after.
9. Place the pie base in the fridge for about 30 minutes to solidify, then trim the top edge with a paring knife and dock the bottom with a fork. You can use the excess dough to press into any areas that look a little thinner. 
10. Bake for about about 20-22 minutes to fully bake until golden brown. 
11. Meanwhile make the crème pât filling. 
12. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add in the vanilla then slowly add in the milk while whisking to prevent lumps. 
13. Add in the butter (melted or not) and heat the whole thing in the microwave in 30 second bursts, whisking in between, until it has bubbled, thickened and is completely smooth. This takes about 5 minutes - don't give up, it will thicken.
14. Spoon straight onto the baked pie base then place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
15. Cut up the strawberries into thirds and layer on top of the pastry cream whilst it is still a little tacky, in an arrangement of your choice.
16. Place back in the fridge to set completely (another 30 minutes) until ready to serve. Will keep up to 3 days at best and stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

Christina 

xx