Piece of life
I’ve already told you how much I enjoy picking fruits, and every year we don’t miss the opportunity to go strawberry picking (at l’Île d’Orléans, the best ! ). This year was no exception, so we planned a one-day stop on the way back from our vacation. Mid-July, the perfect timing. Well except this year….. Because of the great weather the fruits were early this year, and when we arrived the season was already over. I wanted to make up for it with the raspberries but that one hadn’t started yet…
Luckily, it was still possible to buy strawberry baskets at the farm stand.
About the strawberry pie
This is a real French classic here! A sweet pastry crust, pastry cream and fresh strawberries. Simple things are often the best.
The crust
You have the choice: shortcrust, shortbread, sweet pastry crust… I chose a sweet crust this time, and I flavoured it with lime zest. You can make it yourself, or buy a ready-to-use one.
Organizational tip. You can prepare the dough the day before and keep it in the fridge until use (take it out 15 minutes before to soften it).
The pastry cream
This is a very classic recipe for vanilla pastry cream. You can flavour it differently or choose another type of cream. I also really like this pie with a mascarpone whipped cream instead of the pastry cream.
Organizational tip: You can prepare the cream the day before and keep it in the fridge. You’ll just need to give it a whip before using it.
The strawberries
I prepared this tart with only fresh fruits, but you could add a little strawberry confit [or jam]. You can use this recipe with other fruits [e.g. raspberries, exotic fruits, mixed fruits].
Classic french strawberry pie
Équipements
- 6 tart rings, 9 cm (3.5 in) (or 1 large one)
Ingredients
For the crust
- 150 g flour
- 40 g confectioner's sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 75 g soft butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 lime zest
For the pastry cream
- 250 ml whole milk
- 25 g cornstarch
- 2 eggs yolk
- 40 g sugar
- 10 g cold butter, diced
- 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped
For the fruits
- fresh strawberries (or any other fruit)
Instructions
For the crust
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, zest and salt.
- Incorporate the soft butter, then the egg yolk. Do not work the dough too much, stop as soon as it is homogeneous.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Grease 6 tartlet rings (or 1 large ring).
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Cut out six pieces and fill the tartlet rings.
- Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, filled with pie weights. Remove the weights and continue baking for another 5 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown (if you make a large pie, the baking time will be a little longer).
- Let the crusts cool on a wire rack before assembling.
For the pastry cream
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch.
- Pour the milk into a pan.
- Split the vanilla bean in 2 and collect the seeds, add to the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Pour a small amount of the hot milk over the egg mixture. Dilute and pour back into the pan with the remaining milk. Return to the heat, constantly stirring, until the mixture thickens.
- When the mixture begins to thicken, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter pieces. Whisk until you have a smooth cream.
- Remove the vanilla pod. Pour the cream into a dish, cover on contact and keep it in the refrigerator until use (it must be cold before use).
For the fruits
- Hull the strawberries and cut them into strips.
For the pie
- Fill the pie crusts (cold) with pastry cream, then arrange the strawberry slices on top. Sprinkle with a few lime zest (optional).
