Italian Strawberry Custard Tart

I’ve been really needing to make a tart ever since I got my new tart pan. It’s hands down one of my favorite things to bake! We had gone to the farmer’s market downtown over the weekend and bought some strawberries so it was the perfect excuse.

This tart was based off of a sour cherry custard tart in my Dolce Italiano book. You can see my version of the recipe below.

Sweet Tart Crust (I use this for every tart recipe. It’s a staple!):

2 1/3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted organic butter (cold & cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
1 large egg from roaming/cage-free/local hens
1 egg yolk from roaming/cage-free/local hens
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream (I had to use coconut milk cream because it’s all I had this time)

Blend flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in standing mixer bowl or food processor. Add cold, cubed butter to bowl and process until it reaches a sandy constancy and has no butter lumps.

In another bowl whisk together the egg, yolk, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in mixer (preferably with a dough hook) until the dough comes together.

Remove from bowl and form and smooth with hands. Make a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in saran-wrap, and place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.

Strawberry Custard Tart:

Sweet tart crust (from above)
4 large egg yolks from roaming/cage-free/local hens
1/2 cup granulated sugar (and more for sprinkling)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream (again, I had to use the coconut milk cream instead)
About 1 pound strawberries (preferably local)

On a floured board roll out the dough until it’s slightly bigger around than the tart pan (about an 11-inch circle). Transfer to tart pan (with removable sides and bottom), press into sides until flush with top of pan, and trim as needed. Chill the tart while making filling.

Preheat oven to 325 F and position rack in the center of the oven.

In a bowl whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the vanilla extract and beat in with the heavy cream.

Cut strawberries length-wise in half and arrange attractively in a circular pattern in the tart shell. Make sure they touch and fit snug. Pour the custard over the strawberries and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place tart pan on a large baking sheet to prevent dripping into the oven. Bake tart for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown throughout. You may have to form a pie crust shield out of foil to prevent the sides from getting more brown than the middle.

Allow to cool for a little while before removing from tart pan. Stuff face repeatedly! Great with a nice warm cup of tea and incredible the next day chilled!

Enjoy!

—Ash