Recipe: Dessert - Fresh Strawberry Tart with Clotted Cream

End your meal on a high with this decadent strawberry tart recipe.

Ingredients

• Sweet Pastry (can be substituted with shop-bought)

• Three punnets of English strawberries
• Glazing jelly or a small jar of apricot jam
• Clotted cream

Crème Patisserie:

• 500ml milk
• 120g caster sugar
• 70g plain flour
• 10g custard powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod

Method

For the pastry mix, mix the flour, salt and icing sugar until a breadcrumb consistency is formed. Add the eggs and yolks and bring together to form the pastry, then rest for about 20 minutes before rolling out the pastry and placing over a 25cm fluted flan ring, overlaying the edges to allow for shrinkage. Leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.

Place baking beans or rice in greaseproof paper and press into the pastry ring, making sure to fill the edges (this stops the pastry from rising and allows it to cook at the same time). Put into the oven at 170°C and cook until completely golden brown: remove the baking beans and allow to cool.

For the crème patisserie, whisk the eggs and sugar together then add the flour and custard powder and beat to a smooth paste. Boil the milk with the vanilla pods, making sure that the seeds are removed by splitting the pods lengthways and running down the length of the pod with the back of a knife. Pour two thirds of the milk onto the egg mixture and mix, then place the mixture back into the remaining milk and onto the stove, stirring continually and making sure to cook out the sugar. The cream should thicken as it cooks, and should take 3 to 5 minutes to form the correct consistency. Allow to cool in the fridge.

To assemble, place and smooth off the crème patisserie inside the pastry case. Neatly arrange the strawberries on top. Gently warm the glazing jelly or apricot jam and brush it over the strawberries to glaze the whole tart. Serve accompanied by the clotted cream.