Hardly any other fruit symbolizes spring and summer for me as much as strawberries. As children, we used to nibble them straight from the neighbor’s garden or go on trips with our parents to nearby fields where we could pick them. It was my mom who would always make sure the season involved a round (or two) of sweet strawberry tartlets with vanilla pastry cream. We kids loved the little cakes and couldn’t get enough of them. Do you know this classic from your own childhood? Today I invite you to try these bite-sized beauties, which will please any and every (inner) child!
Strawberry Tartlets With Vanilla Pastry Cream: The Perfect Dessert For Any Sweet Tooth
These little cakes look truly magical on the table. While making the tartlets for this recipe is a task, I admit, it is certainly worth the effort! There’s something about homemade that adds an extra layer, or in this case, foundation to the treat. What better foundation for the simply sweet strawberry and rich cream?
You will need small tartlet molds to prepare our strawberry tartlets with vanilla pastry cream. If you don’t have these, you can bake one large tart instead of small tarts.
The cream in this recipe works as the garnish for the dessert. The cream in this recipe serves as a garnish for the dessert. Once the tartlets have baked, simply fill them with strawberries and add a dollop of cream on top. Or if you prefer it a little sweeter, fist spread the cream into the tartlet, and then top with with the berries. It looks especially pretty if you sprinkle chopped pistachios or other nuts over them at the end. The nuts add not only a pleasant crunch, but provide a nice contrast to the strawberries and cream.
Bake the strawberry tarts with vanilla cream for a birthday, for a picnic, or just because: They are a treat that bring me back to childhood, and I hope they bring a bit of that magic to you too!
Summer is such a sweet time, so why shouldn’t our food be as well? Our banana caramel cake, butter cake, and strawberry cream sheet cake recipes are all sure to please dessert-lovers of all ages.
Strawberry Tarts with Vanilla Cream
Equipment
- 6 small tartlet molds
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 1½ cups flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup butter cold
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch of salt
For the cream:
- ½ vanilla bean
- 1½ cups milk
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp sugar
Additionally:
- 3¼ cups strawberries
- chopped pistachios optional
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the batter until smooth and uniform. Form it into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil, but first set aside 2 tablespoons of the milk.
- Mix the sugar with the cornstarch, egg yolks, and remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir the mix into the hot milk on the stove.
- Reduce the heat and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove the pot from the heat, pour the cream into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut 6 circles slightly larger than your tartlet molds. Grease the molds, then gently press the dough circles into them, making sure to cover the edges.
- Prick the bottom of the molds a few times with a fork. Bake at 350°F with conventional heat for 15 minutes, and then let cool.
- Wash and chop the strawberries. Stir the cream.
- Add a dollop of cream to each tartlet and top with strawberries. Optionally, sprinkle each tartlet with chopped pistachios before serving.