birthday tart

Twas my precious mom's birthday the day after Thanksgiving, and though the fridge was packed and our bellies rotund, I had to make something sweet and fresh to celebrate. Cake-from-a-box simply wouldn't cut it for my own mother, so I set out to make a strawberry tart worthy of a patisserie.

I used my tried-and-true crust recipe, bought sliced strawberries, then hunted for a solid recipe for pastry cream... that tongue-coating, lip-smacking divinity that is the necessary middle note between the tartness of the berries and the blandness of the crust. This one comes from allrecipes.com, and it's perfectly easy and delicious.

So delicious, in fact, that it'd make a wonderful summer dessert all by itself, or topped with a couple peach slices.

Pastry Cream

2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 egg yolks
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 pinch salt

Place the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Combine the yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light in color. Add in the flour and the salt, mix to combine.

When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over medium heat. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix the pastry cream as it heats, making sure to reach all of the corners of the pan when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain for a smooth cream. Pour into a bowl and chill.