This strawberry and pastry cream tart is the perfect balance of flavors. It is a tart with a crispy and flavorful base, with a creamy filling made of pastry cream mixed with other ingredients, and fresh strawberries on top, with a simple syrup to make them shine and give them a slightly sweet flavor.
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It is the perfect dessert for special occasions, and especially for Valentine’s Day which is coming up. It is an easy recipe to make, it takes time but it is not difficult at all.
The base of this cake is our favorite base for all kinds of pies or tarts. With the creamy filling and the strawberries it is a combination that we love. Now, one thing must be said, this tart, like all desserts that have fresh fruit, is best eaten the same day they are made, or at most the next day. This is because fresh fruit exposed like this, takes on a different flavor when left for a long time, and the best flavor is always achieved when the fruit is completely fresh.
The filling of this tart is not cooked in the oven, the crust is the only thing that goes in the oven, while the filling is cooked on the stove, and then refrigerated to cool down. Finally, everything is decorated with strawberries on top and a syrup that is very easy to make.
A good idea is to make this dessert in a heart-shaped pie pan, and give it as a gift to the people whom we want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with. The same recipe can also be used to make mini strawberry tarts. In this case you would have to bake the mini bases for less time, so that they do not burn.
If you like this recipe you have to check out our red velvet whoopie pies, which are also perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Pastry cream and strawberry tart
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 3/4 C (8 oz) (227 gr) all purpouse flour
- 1/4 C (1.75 oz) (50 gr) granulated white sugar
- 1/4 tsp (0.04 oz) (1.2 gr) salt
- 1/2 C + 1 tbsp (4.4 oz) (125 gr) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp (0.09 oz) (2.5 gr) vanilla extract
- The zest of 1/2 lemon
For the filling and strawberries:
- 1 3/4 C + 2 tbsp (117 fl oz) (450 ml) whole milk
- 2/3 C (4.70 oz) (133 gr) granulated white sugar
- 1/4 tsp (0.04 oz) (1.2 gr) salt
- The zest of 1 lemon
- 4 egg yolks, big
- 1/3 C (1.80 oz) (50 gr) corn starch
- 3 tbsp (1.60 oz) (45 gr) unsalted butter
- 3/4 C (6 oz) (170 gr) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 21 oz (600 gr) fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
- 1 tbsp (2.11 fl oz) (15 ml) water for the syrup
- 1/4 C (1.80 oz) (50 gr) granulated white sugar for the syrup
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a food processor place the flour, sugar, salt and process for a few seconds until combined. It can also be done in a bowl by mixing with a fork.
- Add the butter and process for 10 seconds until it forms a sandy texture (you can also do this with a fork or with your fingertips).
- Add in the egg yolks with the vanilla extract, lemon zest and process (or combine with your hands) until a smooth dough is formed (it is important not to over knead).
- Wrap the dough in kitchen plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 360º F (180° C) and, once the dough has rested, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out on a clean, floured surface until it is about 5 mm thick.
- Place the stretched dough in a 25 cm diameter pie pan previously greased and arrange it so that it covers the entire inside of the pan, making some decorations on the edges if desired, using your fingers, and remove the excess dough if needed.
- Place a circle or parchment paper or aluminum foil on top of the dough and place something heavy on top to keep its shape. You can use beans, chickpeas, rice, etc.
- Bake at 360º F (180° C) for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes more until fully cooked and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the crust rest until needed.
For the filling and strawberries:
- Using a sharp knife, cut open the vanilla pod or vanilla bean lengthwise and carefully scrape out all the seeds.
- In a small saucepan, pour the milk with half of the sugar, the seeds of the vanilla bean, the salt, and the lemon zest and bring to medium-low heat, mixing occasionally with a hand whisk.
- In a medium bowl, mix the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and cornstarch with a fork until smooth. Add a little of the hot milk mixture and whisk with the same fork to warm up the yolk mixture and temper it.
- Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the milk and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, continuing to whisk with until a thicker cream forms, making sure not to burn the mixture.
- Remove the cream from the heat, add the butter and beat until well integrated. Pour the pastry cream into another clean bowl, cover it with plastic wrap (which should touch the surface of the cream so that it does not form a crust) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a hand whisk or electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth. Carefully add in the pastry cream, beat for 30 seconds more until smooth and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Take the crust of the tart and carefully pour all the filling in it, which should already be cool. Spread it evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Place the strawberries on top, arranging them in a fan like shape, from the outside in, until the filling is completely covered.
- Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes until it boils and forms a thick syrup.
- Brush the strawberries with the syrup (once it is not boiling) to make them look better and refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours before eating.
