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Easy No-Bake French Strawberry Tart Recipe with Creamy Pastry Cream Tutorial

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A quick and easy no-bake French strawberry tart featuring a buttery crisp crust and smooth, creamy pastry cream topped with fresh strawberries. Perfect for warm days when you want a fresh dessert without turning on the oven.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs or digestive biscuits
  • ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cups (480ml) whole milk (or almond milk for dairy-free)
  • ⅔ cup (130g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
  • 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 pound (450g) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons apricot jam or clear honey
  • Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Stir until evenly coated and mixture holds when pressed. Press firmly into bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbling, about 6-8 minutes.
  3. Whisk egg yolks lightly in a separate bowl. Slowly pour about ½ cup of hot milk mixture into yolks while whisking to temper.
  4. Pour tempered yolks back into saucepan with remaining milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes until very thick.
  5. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla bean paste, and lemon zest. Strain through fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
  6. Assemble tart: Spread chilled pastry cream evenly over crust. Arrange sliced strawberries decoratively on top.
  7. Glaze strawberries: Warm apricot jam with a tablespoon of water until runny. Brush over strawberries for shine. Chill tart for 30 minutes before serving.
  8. Optional: Garnish with fresh mint leaves before serving.

Notes

Chill the crust before adding pastry cream to keep it crisp. Temper egg yolks slowly to avoid scrambling. Use plastic wrap on pastry cream surface to prevent skin formation. If pastry cream is too thick after chilling, whisk briefly to loosen before spreading. Use a light hand when glazing strawberries to avoid sogginess.

Nutrition

Keywords: no-bake, strawberry tart, French dessert, pastry cream, easy dessert, summer dessert, fresh strawberries

Find it online: https://rowanrecipes.com/easy-no-bake-french-strawberry-tart-recipe-with-creamy-pastry-cream-tutorial/