Mary Berry Strawberry Tart Recipes

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.

FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• You will need eight 8cm (3in) round, loose-bottomed fluted tartlet tins. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. To make the pastry, measure the flour, icing sugar and butter into a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips. Add the egg and whizz again until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll out the dough until fairly thin - about the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out eight discs slightly bigger than the tartlet tins. Line each tin with the pastry, on the base and up the sides (see tip), trim across the top and prick the base with a fork. Line each pastry case with baking paper, fill with a few baking beans and bake blind for about 10 minutes until pale golden and starting to cook . Remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for about 5 minutes to dry out the base and to finish cooking the pastry. Set aside to cool down completely in the tartlet tins. For the filling, measure the mascarpone and cream into a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk by hand (see tip) until slightly thickened. Spoon some of the filling into each of the cold tartlet cases and level the top. Arrange slices of strawberry on top of each filled tartlet in a pretty spiral. Heat the redcurrant jelly in a small pan and brush over the strawberry slices to glaze. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins to serve. Cook time: 15 minutes, plus chilling and cooling. Prepare Ahead: Can be made completely up to 4 hours ahead. The tartlet cases can be baked up to a day ahead. Freeze: The tartlet cases freeze well. Mary's Everyday Tips: When lining the tartlet tins with the pastry, be sure not to stretch the pastry, or it will shrink back on cooking. Handle gently and ease the excess pastry from around the edges into the sides and lip of the tin.

STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the butter and icing sugar in a food processor and blitz until combined. Add the egg yolks and blitz until smooth. Add the flour and salt and blitz until a dough starts to form. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten to a disc and then wrap and chill in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
• To make the crème pâtissière, heat the milk, vanilla paste and salt over a low heat until gently steaming. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and stir together until smooth and thick. Slowly pour in the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring with a whisk. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts and combines with the thickened mixture. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then chill until needed.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and dust a bit more flour on top. Roll out to form a circle about 30cm/12in in diameter. Line a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed fluted tart tin with the pastry, gently pressing it down into the tin and up the sides. Leave the pastry overhanging the edge of the tin and trim away any excess pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork, then chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Remove the tart tin from the fridge and place on a baking tray. Take a large square of baking paper and crumple it up into a ball, then uncrumple it and use it to line the pastry. Fill with baking beans to support the edges as the pastry bakes. Blind bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Lift out the baking paper and beans and bake for a further 7-10 minutes, until golden and crisp all over. Leave to cool.
• Sprinkle the strawberries with the caster sugar and set aside for 5 minutes until they begin to release their juices. Remove the crème pâtissière from the fridge and stir briefly until smooth. Pour it into the cooled pastry case and spread evenly. Decorate with the strawberries in concentric circles. Cut into slices and serve.