Strawberry Tart with Pastry Cream

Pate sucree crust - can be made the day before

1. Make one 9 inch tart crust following the recipe here. Please note that the recipe makes two crusts, so keep the extra dough wrapped in the fridge for a different recipe.
2. Brush the tart crust with egg wash before the last 5 minutes of bake time. If not, you can also brush the inside of the crust with melted white chocolate when the crust has cooled down. This creates a barrier between the crust and the filling to prevent the crust from getting soggy.

Vanilla pastry cream

1. Place the egg yolk and cornstarch in a bowl. Whisk the yolk and cornstarch well until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Place the milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the milk is steaming.
3. Temper the egg mixture with some of the hot milk while stirring constantly. When the egg mixture is warm, add it back to the warm milk.
4. While whisking frequently, warm the custard base until it comes to a boil. Make sure to whisk and scrape the bottom of the saucepan as the custard thickens to prevent the eggs from curdling.
5. If needed, remove the pot from the heat to whisk the custard, then return it to the stove to continue cooking.
6. The custard will start to release bubbles at the surface when it starts to boil. Remove it from the heat at this point, and whisk to make sure the custard is smooth and thick. When whisked, it should leave behind tracks from the whisk.
7. Cover the custard with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the entire surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming on top. Let it cool down to room temperature.
8. Place the butter in a bowl and whisk the butter until light and fluffy. The butter should be very soft and airy.
9. Add the cooled custard (a little at a time) to the butter, and whisk each addition really well, until you have added all of the custard. You should have a smooth and buttery custard mixture.
10. Add the cooled butter custard mixture into the pate sucree shell. It's now ready to be topped with strawberries.

Strawberry topping

1. Wash and dry the fresh strawberries. Slice the tops off of the strawberries (optional, since the green parts are edible too), and then halve the strawberries.
2. Starting from the center, place the strawberry halves on the pastry cream topping in any pattern you like.
3. When the surface of the tart is covered with strawberries, you can brush the top with jam (optional).
4. To do this, warm the ⅓ cup of jam until the mixture has a liquid consistency. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the strawberries until they are all coated with the jam. Loosely wrap the tart with plastic wrap, and place the tart in the fridge for a few hours to set.
5. Before serving, sprinkle chopped pistachios or garnish with mint leaves (optional).