Classic French Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)
Spring is here, and we are embracing a timeless basic today – the Classic French Strawberry Tart, known in French as “Tarte aux Fraises”. This traditional French dessert combines a buttery pastry crust with juicy ripe strawberries arranged on a layer of velvety crème pâtissière. Come Spring and strawberry season, you will find this tart in almost every boulangeries (bakeries) in France. This is a no-fuss tart that looks fabulous with a brushing of apricot glaze on the strawberries for a pretty sheen. This Classic French Strawberry Tart recipe is…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For the pâte sablée:
- 1 ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (233g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67.5g) sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (125g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 1 large egg
- For the crème pâtissière:
- 1 cup (250ml) milk (2% or whole)½ tsp vanilla extract (or seeds from ½ vanilla bean)
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tbsp (38g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (17g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tbsp (11g) cornstartch
- For topping:
- 5 ½ cups (790g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- 2
Step 1 -To make the crust, whisk together in a mixing bowl the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix with your fingers (or pulse in a food processor), until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg and mix until the dough roughly comes together into a ball; do not overmix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- 3
Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle.
- 4
Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) tart pan. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and roll it out to a 12-inch (31cm) circle. Transfer the crust to the pan. Cut any excess crust that hangs over the edge, and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.
- 5
Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are slightly golden. Set aside to cool completely.
- 6
Step 2 - To make the crème pâtissière, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm up the milk and vanilla. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sugar until lighter in color and fluffy. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch. When the milk is just simmering, pour it into the egg mixture, and whisk until just incorporated.
- 7
Transfer back into the saucepan, whisk occasionally and remove from the heat as soon as it begins to thicken and bubble. Pour into a clean bowl, and cover the crème with plastic wrap; the wrap should touch the whole surface of the crème to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool completely.
- 8
Step 3 - To assemble the tart, place the crust onto a serving plate. Spread the crème pâtissière over the bottom of the crust. Wash, drain, de-stem and halve the strawberries. Gently place them on top of the crème in a circular pattern (bottom side down).
- 9
Warm up the apricot jam in a microwave for 15 seconds and pass it through a fine mesh strainer if needed (to discard of fruit chunks). Gently brush the jam over the strawberries. Chill the tart for at least one hour before serving.