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Tart aux Fraises - French Strawberry Custard Tart
5 from 10 votes

Tart aux Fraises - French Strawberry Custard Tart

The Tart aux Fraises is a French dessert featuring a crisp sweet pastry crust filled with diplomat cream and topped with fresh strawberries glazed with fruit jelly. The buttery dough enriched with ground almonds and icing sugar provides a tender, crumbly base. The diplomat cream blends pastry cream with whipped cream for a smooth, light texture that balances the tartness of fresh berries. The glossy fruit jelly finish adds shine and a subtle sweetness to the fruit topping.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 8 People
Calories: 330 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean, French

Ingredients

Sweet Pastry Dough
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 75 g butter cold, unsalted
  • 75 g icing sugar
  • 20 g ground almonds
  • salt pinch
  • ½ egg (30 g)
Diplomat Cream
  • 185 ml milk (full fat)
  • 12 g butter unsalted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1½ egg 35g, yolk
  • 40 g sugar
  • 10 g plain flour
  • 12 g cornflour
  • 125 ml double cream or whipping cream
For the Decoration
  • 500 g strawberries
  • 2 tablespoon fruit jelly diluted with 1 tablespoon of water, or jam without the fruits for the nappage

Instructions

Making the Sweet Pastry Dough
    Cup of Yum
  1. Place the flour, butter, icing sugar, salt, and almonds in a mixing bowl.
  2. Work the dough by rubbing it between your fingertips.
  3. Add the egg and mix using a fork.
  4. Turn the mixture out on a work surface and knead to form a smooth dough without overworking it.
  5. Flatten the dough out slightly, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
  6. Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 180°C and let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes until soft enough to roll but not too soft.
  7. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ½ cm thickness / 23 cm (9") circle and line a 20 cm (8") fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin.
  8. Press the dough firmly against the sides and bottom without stretching it and trim off the excess dough.
  9. Prick the dough all over with a fork, cover it, and place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before blind baking.
  10. Preheat the oven to 175° C - 350° F (fan oven).
  11. Line the tart tin with parchment paper or tin foil, covering the edges to avoid them from burning.
  12. Fill with dried chickpeas or rice to prevent the dough from rising and bake for about 15 minutes, remove the chickpeas or rice and cook for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
  13. Let it cool down on a wire rack before filling it with the pastry cream.
Preparing the Diplomat Cream
  1. Place the milk, vanilla paste, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes pale and thick. Add the flour along with the cornflour and whisk to combine.
  3. Add half of the hot milk into the flour-egg mixture, whisking well, and return the mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.
  4. Return the saucepan to heat and cook until it thickens, whisking continuously. Let it boil for a minute constantly stirring then remove it from the heat. Let it cool down to room temperature.
  5. When the pastry cream has reached room temperature, start whipping the double cream or whipping cream until you reach stiff peaks.
  6. Whisk the pastry cream to loosen then fold in the whipped cream gently in 2 stages.
Assembling the Tart
  1. Spoon the diplomat cream into the baked sweet pastry shell, and level the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
  2. Arrange the strawberries over the pastry cream and brush them with nappage.

Notes

  • Chill the butter before mixing and chill the dough for 30 minutes prior to blind baking to prevent shrinkage.
  • Use a tart pan with a removable bottom to support the crust when removing the tart.
  • Measure all ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for accuracy.
  • Avoid substituting ingredients unless able to maintain texture and flavor balance in the recipe.

Nutrition Information

Calories 330kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 38g (13%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 94mg (31%) Sodium 24mg (1%) Potassium 170mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 19g (38%) Vitamin A 610IU (12%) Vitamin C 37mg (41%) Calcium 63mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 People

Amount Per Serving

Calories 330

% Daily Value*

Calories 330kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 38g 13%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 94mg 31%
Sodium 24mg 1%
Potassium 170mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 19g 38%
Vitamin A 610IU 12%
Vitamin C 37mg 41%
Calcium 63mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.