Description

There are 2 variations of pastry cream in the recipe below; the first is lighter and not as rich as the second. Both are excellent. It’s a matter of personal taste and what ingredients you have on hand. Also, the crust, pastry cream & whipped cream can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Ingredients

Crust (makes enough for 2 tarts using a 9″ spring form pan)

1 box graham crackers
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened, dessicated coconut flakes
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Pastry Cream

2 eggs
2 c. whole milk
1/2 sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

OR

2 egg yolks
2 c. half & half
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1tsp. vanilla extract

Whipped cream

1 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. powdered gelatin
2 tbsp. water

Garnish

2 pints fresh strawberries
1/4 c. apricot jam, warmed (optional)

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grab a 9″ spring form pan.
To make the crust, process the first 5 ingredients (except the butter) in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer 1 1/2 cups to a large bowl, and add the melted butter. Press the crumbs into your pan using the bottom of a 1/4 cup measure to evenly press down the mixture. Bake in the oven (center rack) for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely before adding the filling. Note: store the rest of your graham cracker crumbs in a container or Ziploc bag for later use. For every 1 1/2 cups, add 6 tbsp. of melted unsalted butter and bake as directed.
To make the pastry cream, bring the milk to a boil making sure that it does not spill over. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch until well combined. To temper the eggs, slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly (do not pour all at once or else the eggs will scramble). Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pan of milk. Increase the heat to low, and cook stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened, about 1-3 minutes (if at any point the mixture scrambles, pass through a fine sieve). Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the butter and vanilla. Immediately cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface of the pastry cream) so that it does not form a skin. Leave to cool at room temperature for an hour and then transfer to the fridge to chill, up to 3 days.
To make the whipped cream, place the gelatin + 2 tbsp. of water into a bowl. Microwave for 1-5 seconds until completely dissolved. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream and sugar. Beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add the warm gelatin and run the machine until stiff peaks form (the gelatin must be warm or else the cream will not stabilize). Do not over beat. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until ready to use, up to 3 days.
To assemble the tart, remove the pastry cream & whipped cream from the refrigerator. Both mixtures will have become quite stiff; stir each one to loosen.
In a large bowl, add the loosened pastry cream and 1/3 of the whipped cream. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream, in batches. You want to make sure that there are no white streaks visible.
Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and transfer to the fridge to set, about 1 hour.
For the garnish, top with whole small strawberries* See note below.

Notes

*If you can’t find small strawberries, simply cut larger ones into thin slices. Arrange onto your tart and brush with warm apricot jam (with a splash of water) to seal in their juices. This will prevent your strawberries from leaking onto the filling.