250 – Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux fraises) – Homemade Recipe / تورتة الفراولة

Ingredients :

• Pie Crust (Pate Sucree) – either store bought or homemade
• Melted dark chocolate (to brush the crust)
• Pastry cream – either store bought or homemade
• Fresh strawberries
• Glaze: apricot jam + a little bit of water

Directions :

Step 1: The Crust
1- The first ingredient you need in a tart is, of course, the crust! You have 2 options: either you make it at home or you buy it already made from the store. 2- If you want to make it at home, follow my recipe using Pate Sucree (Sweet Dough). Here is the link.
3- You can either use a large crust for a full pie or mini ones for individual pies.
4- Here is a tip! Since the pie crust is going to be filled with cream it may become soggy. What you need to do is to brush it with melted chocolate to give it a protective layer. Just melt semi-sweet chocolate and lightly brush the inside center of your crust.
5- Place the crust in the fridge until the chocolate hardens then we will go to the next step!

Step 2: The Pastry Cream
1- When the chocolate harden, fill the crust with pastry cream. You have 2 choices: either you buy it pre-made from the store (or in a box) or make it yourself. Here is the link.
2- In a cup, place your piping bag with a tip, and fill it up with the pastry cream. It’s less messy this way. Pipe the cream in the center of the crust, then smooth it up with a spoon.

Step 3: The Strawberries
1- Now we are going to prepare the strawberries! you can use just strawberries, or other fruits and decorate the pie the way you want.
2- For the strawberries, just remove the green top and cut them in half. Also organize them by size (large, medium, small) to make easier when decorating the pie.
3- Whenever you are working with the strawberries or something else, place the crust with the cream in the fridge until you are ready to use it!
4- Place the half strawberries over the cream. Decorate the tarte the way you want!

Step 4: The Glaze
1- To make the strawberries shiny, we are going to use a glaze! All you need is a little bit of apricot jap mixed with a little bit of water.
2- Brush the strawberries with the glaze.
3- Place the tart in the fridge for at least one hour before serving!
Bon Appetit!

Tip: if you find the recipe long you can prepare the dough the night before, the cream in the morning, and assemble the pie in the evening!