Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- 225g plain flour
- Pinch salt
- 150g unsalted butter, cubed
- 25g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- For the filling:
- 500ml milk
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped (or 1tbsp vanilla extract)
- 5 egg yolks
- 125g caster sugar
- 40g cornflour
- For the strawberries:
- 2tbsp apricot jam
- 500g strawberries
For the pastry:
1 Rub the flour, salt and butter together with your fingertips or blend in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, followed by the egg, and as soon as the dough comes together, turn the dough out and wrap in clingfilm. Chill for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or 160 fan. Roll the chilled dough out into a large circle and line a 23cm loose-bottomed, non-stick fluted tart tin, leaving a little pastry hanging over the edge. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
3 Blind bake the pastry by lining with a piece of parchment paper, filling with baking beans or rice and baking for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, and bake for a further three to five minutes, until golden and cooked through.
4 Remove from the oven and trim the edges of the pastry. Set aside to cool.
For the filling:
1 Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan with the vanilla seeds or extract. Add the vanilla pod if using.
2 In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until pale. Remove the vanilla pod (if using), and pour the hot milk over the egg mix, whisking all the time.
3 Pour the mix back into a clean pan and place over a low to medium heat. Continue to whisk until the pastry cream starts to thicken, bubble and boil, then remove from the heat. Pour the cream into a bowl and press a sheet of clingfilm on to the surface. Cool for 10 minutes before placing in the fridge to cool completely.
4 When cool, scrape the pastry cream into the cooked tart base and place back in the fridge while preparing the strawberries.
For the strawberries:
1 Put the apricot jam into a small saucepan with a tablespoon of water and heat gently until loose and syrupy. Set aside.
2 Cut the strawberries into thin slices lengthways, and starting from the outside of the tart, arrange the sliced strawberries in a circle. Continue layering strawberries in concentric circles until you have reached the centre of the tart.
3 Brush the top of the strawberries with the apricot jam glaze and serve.
