Prep: 45 minutes or so total Bake: 25 minutes total
Oven: 375°F at first, then 350°F Refrigeration: 2 hours, plus 30 minutes freezing
Sweet Tart Pastry Dough:6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cool but not chilld, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg,
at room temperature1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pastry Cream:1 cup milk
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Summer Berry Tart:2 pints strawberries, rinsed, dried and cut or 1 pint raspberries, blackberries or boysenberries
1/2 cup raspberry or strawberry jam or jelly or red currant jelly
1. First we'll make the pastry dough. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed or a swank Kitchenaid mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Break the egg into a cup, mix it thoroughly with a fork, and measure 2 1/2 tablespoons; discard the remainder. Beat it in the bowl with the vanilla and salt just until blended. If you overmix, your dough is going to suck pretty hard, so don't go overboard. Scrape down the bowl with a pastry spatula. On low speed, add the flour all t once and mix just until the ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
2. Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface. Quickly finish combining the ingredients by smearing small amounts away from you. (See photo below.)
3. Using a bench knife or plastic scraper, scrape up the dough and gather it together. Form into a flat disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (The dough can be prepared up to a day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated. It can also be frozen, overwrapped with aluminum foil, for up to 2 months. Defrost the frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. If the dough is very hard and well chilled, let it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Then pound the dough, vertically and horizontally, with the rolling pin until it is pliable but still cold.
4. While you're waiting for the dough to refrigerate, let's make the pastry cream. In a nonreactive medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges.
5. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on high speed or a whisk, beat the egg, yolk and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour. On low speed, gradually beat in about half of the hot milk. Pour the mixture into the saucepan.
6. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pastry cream comes to a full boil -- as in stirring it doesn't make the bubbles that burble to the surface go away -- taking care that it doesn't scorch. Now this is tricky, TRULY stir this %#*% or you will have a burnt custard on your hands. You can't just walk off to go do something for a few minutes. But if you pay attention, it's fine.
7. Rub the pastry cream through a wire sieve into a medium bowl just like you would a custard you were making for a cream pie. Stir in the vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream and poke a few holes in the plastic so the steam can escape. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (The pastry cream can be prepared, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
8. After the refrigeration of the dough and pastry cream is done, we need to deal with the dough first. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into an 11 1/2-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the pin in around the middle of the dough, push away from you a bit, avoid the edges of the dough and turn the dough, repeat the rolling movement. Just a few short, firm rolls with each turn, take your time. Gently lift the dough and center it in a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. OR....if you are like me and the only 9-inch pan with a removable bottom you own is a springform, then we'll be putting it in there. Ease the dough into the corners and press it gently into the pan. Trim the dough flush with the top of the pan if it reaches it. Press the dough against the sides of the pan so it barely rises over the edge. Prick the bottom well with a fork. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
9. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
10. Line the crust tightly with aluminum foil. Fill the shell with about 2 cups pie weights. This could be beans, but I experimented today and used coffee beans from a blend I thought was a bit disappointing. I figured it would make the house smell great even if it didn't work awesome. Well, it worked great, making this a rather crafty use of coffee beans that are stale or suck. Bake until the edges of the pastry are set and dry, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking the pastry until it is golden brown, about 10 more minutes. If the dough bubbles up at any time, pierce the bubble with the tip of a fork. Transfer the tart to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
11. Spread the pastry cream in the cooled shell. (If the pastry cream seems thick, whisk or stir it briskly to thin it.) Top with the berries, arranged in any way that suits you. Strawberries can be sliced and placed in overlapping concentric circles or left whole, or arrange the berries in different colored rings.
12. Heat the jam until simmering in a small saucepan. Strain to remove the solids if necessary. Brush the berries or drizzle with the warm jam. Serve immediately or within a few hours.
Currently Listening: Muse - "Supermassive Black Hole"