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Scrumptious Strawberry Tart

Servings: 8
Ingredients:
For The Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, out of
the refrigerator for 20 minutes, cut into
pieces
1 to 2 Tbs. water

For The Filling:
1 1/4 cups milk
3 1/2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 tsp. kirsch or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For The Topping:
4 cups whole strawberries, hulled, washed and dried
1/2 cup red currant jelly, melted


Instructions:
To make the pastry, in a food processor
fitted with the metal blade, combine the
flour, sugar and salt. Pulse briefly to mix.
Add the butter and process until the
consistency of coarse meal. With the
motor running, add just enough of the
water to form a ball that cleans the
sides of the bowl. Remove from the
processor, wrap the dough in plastic
wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the pastry in a 9-inch tart pan
with a removable bottom and press it
gently onto the bottom and sides of the
pan, forming an even layer. Place in the
freezer for 30 minutes.


Line the pastry shell with parchment
paper and fill with pie weights, rice or
beans. Bake until lightly golden around
the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove
from the oven and remove the weights
and parchment. Continue to bake until
pale gold, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on a
rack.

To make the filling, first make the pastry
cream: Pour the milk into a saucepan
over medium heat and heat until small
bubbles appear along the edges of the
pan. Remove from the heat. In another
saucepan, stir together the flour and
sugar. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks
until light colored. Whisk the hot milk into
the flour mixture and place over medium
heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the
mixture boils, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove
from the heat and whisk one-fourth of
the hot milk-flour mixture into the egg
yolks. Then whisk the egg yolks into the
remaining hot milk-flour mixture and cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until thickened slightly and an
instant-read thermometer inserted into
the liquid registers 165ºF, 2 to 3
minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in
the butter and strain through a
fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in
the kirsch and cover with plastic wrap,
pressing it directly onto the surface of
the pastry cream. Let cool in the
refrigerator.

Melt red currant jelly
in a small saucepan on medium heat.
Keep warm on very low heat on stove top.

Spread the cooled pastry cream in the
pastry shell. Arrange the strawberries,
hulled side down attractively on top of
the pastry cream and brush the fruit with
a thin coating of the jelly. Remove the pan
sides, and using a spatula, slide the tart
from the pan bottom onto a serving plate.

Makes one 9-inch tart, serves 8



Source: DianasDesserts.com
Date: May 12, 2002