STRAWBERRY TART

alessia, Nov 22, 1:29am
would appreciate Recipe for above. Thanks.

cookessentials, Nov 22, 1:51am
Not sure if this is the sort you want. This is the one I make with a cream patisserie filling.

250g plain flour
80g icing sugar
125g butter, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 egg, beaten lightly
500gstrawberries, halved
1/3 cup strawberry jam, warmed, sieved
1 tablespoon hot water

Creme patissiere
250ml cream
250ml milk
110g caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
2 eggs
50g cornflour
80g butter, chopped

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a medium bowl. Rub in the butter then stir in the rind and egg; mix to a firm dough. Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface until smooth, cover pastry with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll pastry between two sheets of baking paper until large enough to line a 24cm loose-based flan tin. Lift pastry into tin; press into side, trim edge. Cover, freeze pastry for one hour.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot (200°C). Cover the pastry with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice. Place the tin on an oven tray. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans and reduce the oven temperature to moderately slow (160°C), bake about 15 minutes or until browned; cool.

Spread the creme patissiere into the pastry case, top with strawberries. Brush the strawberries with combined jam and water.

For the creme patissiere, bring the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla bean to the boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in the sifted cornflour. Gradually whisk in warm milk mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and stir over a medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.

alessia, Nov 22, 1:57am
Thank you cookessentials. Could I use bought sweet short pastry for the base? The creme mixture sounds yummy.

cookessentials, Nov 22, 2:01am
Absolutley, no problem. let me know what you think.

unknowndisorder, Dec 1, 10:23am
Just a bump as it's about a year, and I so need to make again ;)

unknowndisorder, Dec 20, 6:26am
Didn't have any lemon, so used lime.
Slightly overcooked the base and didn't get the creme patisserie thick enough.
Thinking the base would be a good alternative to biscuits for a cheesecake, so will give that a go one day.

I did think of brushing it with chocolate, but it's sweet enough - a dark chocolate could well set it off.

(Actually, it'd be quite nice as a biscuit as well).

I do think the base is well worth making, and easy as, just allowing time for the fridge and freezing parts - made in advance - I froze it for a few hours as had to go out for a bit today.

If I get time Friday, may try making another for xmas at the in-laws, but need to make the tiramasu for mum (she's been subtle with her hints, asking if I've ever made it before and can she have some for xmas).

So thank you Cooks, I'd always wondered how that was made :)

kiwigoldie, Dec 20, 6:35am
try this one...delicious!

strawberry and chocolate ribbon pie

CRUMB CRUST
2 1/2 Cups of crushed double chocolate fudge biscuits (I use farmbake)
3 T Butter or Marge melted
2 T packed brown sugar

CHOC RIBBON
1/2 Cup whipping cream
1 Cup choc melts (milk or dark)

STRAWBERRY FILLING AND GLAZE
2 - 3 punnets ripe strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Cornflour
1/2 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Strawberry Jam
2 T Lemon Juice

Crust: Lightly grease a pie plate. Process biscuits, butter and sugar in a food processer until finely crushed and mixture is moistened. Press over bottom and sides of pie plate, place in freezer to firm crust while proceeding.
2) Chocolate Ribbon: Heat cream in small pot or microwave just until steaming hot. Remove from heat and add choc melts. Let stand for 2 mins for melts to melt, then stir until thick and smooth. Spread over bottom of crust. Refrigerate or put in freezer to set choc
3) Filling and Glaze: Whisk Sugar, Cornflour, Water, Jam and Lemon Juice in a medium pan until blended. Add 1 cup of berries and mash with a potato masher. Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, bring to a gentle boil. Boil over medium heat 5 - 6 minutes stirring occasionally until thick and syrupy. Let cool.
4) Pour one third of strawberry filling over choc layer and spread to cover. Pat remaining berries dry. Put berries cut in half with cut side down onto pie. Pour remainder of filling over berries as glaze making sure each berry is coated in glaze. Refrigerate at least two hours to set glaze.
Chill at least two hours. Recipe can be made through to step two and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.

unknowndisorder, Dec 25, 6:21pm
kiwigoldie, will have to try that one another time.
Did make Cook's one again for xmas eve (that's our xmas with only the in-laws). I baked the base before work Thursday, which meant leaving it in the oven for the day, should've realised that it would brown a bit more - it had been perfect.

First attempt to make it the creme wasn't mixed enough using a hand whisker, so used the electric one 2nd attempt. I'd also not sifted the cornflour.

Basically, I used a little bit more cornflour (due to when sifting I spilt some).

Was happy with the 2nd attempt - not perfect, but not embarrassing to serve to the family, so was happy with that. Used a bit less sugar, didn't glaze the berries (strawbs, black and blueberries), but found some cool sugar with vanilla to sprinkle over.

I do think the pastry is well worth the effort (just time consuming with the having to refridgerate and then after rolling freeze, so a bit of planning is required). Freezing it means you could make it in advance, as the hour it was meant to freeze both times entailed a couple/few hours or even overnight.

Pastry was one thing I never liked making, but seem to have spent some time this year rolling pastry and definitely getting better at it. Cutting wax paper in roughly the required size for the tin has made it way easier (using a length of paper under it and then the tin size on top when rolling).

alessia, Nov 22, 1:57am
Thank you cookessentials. Could I use bought sweet short pastry for the base! The creme mixture sounds yummy.