Rustic Braided Strawberry Tart Food

RUSTIC STRAWBERRY TART AND SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add the strawberries to a bowl along with the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice and toss together until well combined. Set aside while you prepare the crust.
• Lightly flour your work surface so the crust doesn't stick. Unroll the pie crusts and lay one on the other, overlapping about halfway. Use a rolling pin and roll the crusts in the center to join them together and to spread them out slightly. It should be about 19 inches by 11 inches and fit on a sheet pan.
• Use a knife to round the top and bottom edges slightly and along the sides to neaten up the edges; no more than 1/2-inch of dough should be cut away. (Discard the extra dough.) Transfer to a parchment-lined-sheet pan.
• Spoon the strawberry mixture into the center of the dough leaving a 1-inch border around all sides. (Be sure they aren't too mounded so they bake evenly in the oven.) Working carefully, fold edges of the dough up and over the strawberries, pleating them as you go.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon water together. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat only the folded edge of the dough.
• Place the sheet pan into the oven and bake the tart for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the bake to make sure it bakes evenly. While it is baking, heat the apricot preserves in a small pan with a splash of water until warmed through.
• When the crust is golden brown, remove it from the oven. Brush the strawberries gently with the warmed apricot preserves and cool completely before cutting and serving with the Sweetened Whipped Cream.
• With a whisk, a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and white sugar until it has formed soft peaks.

RUSTIC STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Combine strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and set aside.
• While the strawberries are marinating, roll out the puff pastry sheet or pie crust on a lightly floured surface until it's about 1/8" thick.
• Transfer to lined baking sheet.
• Spoon strawberry mixture into the middle of the pastry sheet, leaving about an inch or two border all around.
• Gently fold the sides of the pastry, a little at a time, up over some of the berries, leaving the fruit in the center exposed.
• Brush top of pastry lightly with water and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden and strawberries are bubbling.
• Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

RUSTIC STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• First make the pastry. Put the butter, flour, 25g polenta, sugar and a pinch of salt into the large bowl of a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Beat 1 of the eggs and add to the mixer and blend again until the pastry starts to clump together. Tip onto your work surface and knead briefly to bring the pastry together into a smooth ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Dust your work surface with a little polenta and flour, then roll out the pastry into a circle roughly 35cm in diameter. line a large baking sheet with parchment and lay the pastry on top. Put the strawberries in a bowl and toss through the cornflour and sugar. Sprinkle the pastry with 1 tbsp polenta, then arrange the strawberries on top, leaving a border about 3cm clear around the edge.
• Beat the remaining egg and sweep over the pastry edge with a brush. Fold the pastry over the strawberries, pinching to create a rough border, and leaving the centre exposed. Brush the edge with more egg. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden brown and crisp. Brush the strawberries with the jam. leave to cool for 15 mins before serving with clotted cream, if you like.

STRAWBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
• With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.