sweet tart!

so... i'm officially done with this pregnancy thing, 9 months is 3 months too long in my opinion... i feel like i've been pregnant forever... as of now, i have 10 days until my due date... sheesh... so in trying to get my mind off this whole pregnant feeling, i wanted to make something fresh and yummy... 2 days ago i bought a new tart pan so i could make a quiche for dinner, but why not make something sweet along with something savory...

so i picked up my favorite dorie greenspan book (baking from my home to yours), and got to thinking...what can i do with some fresh strawberries, some plump vanilla beans, and butter and cream... hmmm... how about a fresh strawberry tart... complete with a luscious vanilla bean pastry cream...

so lets get started with the tart...

i love, and i mean love her classic sweet tart dough... its so simple to make, and its so buttery, has a perfect crumb to it, and it is not too sweet... i would eat it all on its own... you must try it... delicious!

sweet tart dough recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick + 1 tbsp (9 tbsp) very cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

1 lrg egg yolk (slightly beaten)

directions:

1. pulse the flour, confectioners sugar and salt in a food processor to combine

2. scatter the butter over the dry ingredients, and pulse until butter is coarsely cut in

3. add a little yolk a little at a time, pulsing after each addition... when the egg is in fully, pulse for about 10 seconds at a time until the dough forms clumps and curds

4. turn the dough out and knead slightly to incorporate any dry ingredients that escaped mixing

5. press the dough into a buttered 9 inch tart pan, dont be too heavy handed, once all pressed in, freeze the dough about 30 minutes before baking

6. preheat oven to 375, butter a shiny side of a piece of foil and press tightly against the crust and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, then cool to room temp before filling

pastry cream:

2 cups whole milk

6 lrg egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp

directions:

1. bring the milk to a boil

2.in a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended

3. while still whisking, add about 1/4 cup of the boiled milk to the yolks to temper them

4. still whisking, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk

5. place saucepan over medium heat and whisk thoroughly until it comes to a boil, and keep it at a boil still whisking for another 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

6. whisk in the vanilla and then let it sit for 5 minutes before whisking in the bits of butter until fullly combined and smooth... then chill covered in plastic wrap (placed on the surface) until needed

and her recipe for pastry cream... yum... it's easy to make, and honestly i would eat it off of cardboard... the only thing i did differently was that i added a vanilla bean to the milk while it was boiling... like what you do when you make a creme brulee

anyways... here's what we got... a buttery tart, a smooth layer of my dads fresh homemade blueberry preserves, covered with a silky layer of pastry cream and then topped with fresh strawberries that were coated in a raspberry liqueur and a little cracked black pepper...

it was just the thing i needed to take my mind away from this pregnant belly... mmm... mmm...