Strawberry Tarts

"My daughter and I were watching the Barefoot Contessa make these and she said "you have to make those!" I haven't made them yet but I'm sure I'll have to soon :-) Cooking time includes 1 hour chilling for the pastry."
 
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Ready In:
2hrs 5mins
Ingredients:
18
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
  • Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.
  • Pastry Cream:.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
  • With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

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Reviews

  1. Completely amazing! I saw the same show and had to make it. I've made it twice, actually I did one big tart because I don't have individual tart pans. The crust didn't turn out fabulous for me... but I'm a very unreliable maker of crusts anyway. The second time I made it, I just used refrigerated crust (the kind you roll out) and it worked very well. Besides, the custard is what makes this so fabulous. It's actually quite simple to make, but does require patience while waiting for it to thicken up. I've used a variety of fresh fruit as the topping and the custard can be used for all sorts of stuff- filling between cake layers is one thing I am thinking of. I also think I may use the crust in mini muffin pans, which I do have, to make mini tarts. Sure to impress anyone you serve it to. Easy and elegant and I can't recommend it enough! Thanks so much for posting it for us. edit to add...I've also used reduced fat milk and omitted the cream and butter at the end. Also skipped the jam glaze and nuts... to try and feel less guilty about eating half the thing myself. It's not as rich obviously, but still very delicious. I also used regular brandy rather than cognac because that's what I have on hand. I've never left it out altogether though because it does add an incredible depth of flavor.
     
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I'm the mother of an awsome 17 year old daughter, who keeps me very busy. She is now driving and constantly wanting to take the car somewhere. She is a pretty amazing person - she does well in school, helps around the house, is very responsible and actually keeps her room pretty clean! I feel very lucky! She is also developing a love of cooking, but right now it is mostly cookies and brownies. I think she really likes the thought that she can produce something really delicious and impress her boyfriend :-) She also developed a love of sewing after not being able to find clothes that fit the way she likes them. She alters almost everything she buys! And it really comes in handy when I need something sewn! <br>In January, I accepted a position as a Compliance Manager overseeing 4 branches of a major investment firm. It has been very challenging, but I'm learning a lot, and while I'm very overwhelmed, I'm really enjoying it. When I started this job, my office was in Torrance, but after a month, my office was moved to Santa Monica - right on the Promenade and just 2 blocks from the beach and Santa Monica Pier. Very cool area, all types of people walking around all the time. Not sure if I'll be in that location permanently, as it is quite far from home, but I'm liking it so far. <br>My mom subscribed to the Taste of Home and Quick Cooking magazines and always ordered the annual cookbooks. When she passed away, I inherited all of her cookbooks. I've started to post recipes from those books, because it helps me keep track of my favorites. <br>We have a very sweet 6 year old greyhound mix, Sally, who keeps us constantly entertained. She is very lovey and playful, but is always looking for trouble :-) On 1/3/08 we brought home our newest pup, Lucy, a very sweet beagle we found at the animal shelter. Sally isn't quite sure what to make of her yet, but Lucy would really like to play with her, so hopefully they will become friends. We also have a little grey cat who we just call Kitty. He is one of those cats who keeps to himself most of the time, but on the weekend mornings he demands attention and wants to play - but just for a little while, then he retreats to his room (my DD's room) and sleeps the day away. <br><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w105.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/mmeckes/b64d12c3.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" ></a><a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/mmeckes/?action=view?t=b64d12c3.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?action=slideshow" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" ></a> <br> <br> <br>Since I found RecipeZaar, I've developed a reputation with my friends and family as a fabulous cook! This site gives me the tools to try things I never would have thought I could make! I've always been an OK cook, but in the last year or so, I've suddently realized that I really enjoy cooking and entertaining. I don't like spending hours in the kitchen, though, so I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes and I've found so many here. As most people do, I usually start with a recipe and change it to suit the taste of my family or to what I have on hand. I throw together my own dishes often, but haven't posted them, because I never measure anything and just add ingredients to taste. <br>Both of my parents were excellent cooks - both actually cooked in restaurants and my dad owned a restaurant for a few years. All of my friends loved eating at my house when I was a kid, because there was always something good cooking. My mom always had a garden and apricot tree, and she loved canning. We never had store bought jams, dill pickles or canned tomatoes when I was growing up. These days, my pantry has all store bot stuff - I always watched my mom do her canning, but never learned. <br>Unfortunately, my recent love of cooking has shown in the wastelines of both myself and my husband. Now I'm starting to look for lower fat and calorie recipes and trying to learn how to lower the fat in the meals that I love. <br> <br><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <br> <br>Pet Peeves...Mean reviews! I've seen so many mean reviews just because someone didn't like the recipe. Just because one person doesn't like a dish, doesn't mean someone else won't think it is a 5 star recipe! Also, it seems like every recipe that says "authentic, from my grandmother who lived in (you name the country)", someone has to say that the recipe isn't authentic. Just because one German family makes something different than another German family doesn't make it any less authentic. Different regions tend to have variations. <br>OK, that is my gripe and it feels good to get it off my chest :-) <br> <br><a href="http://www3.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/400420" id="clustrMapsLink"><img src="http://www3.clustrmaps.com/counter/index2.php?url=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/400420" alt="Locations of visitors to this page" title="Locations of visitors to this page" id="clustrMapsImg" onError="this.onError=null; this.src='http://www2.clustrmaps.com/images/clustrmaps-back-soon.jpg'; document.getElementById('clustrMapsLink').href='http://www2.clustrmaps.com'" /> <br></a>
 
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