Strawberry Cream Tarts

This year the strawberry season was late and also the prices are higer , maybe because of the bad weather we have been having here.
But must say I love strawberries, I could eat them straint one by one, Hans and Shyama though they would prefer if i serve the strawberries with whipped cream.

Ofcourse I do wish strawberries didn't had any season and they would be there whole year around, they are available whole year but I think they are the best when it is in season as any other fruit and aslo price tag is much better when they are in season :-)

According to James the Best way to make shortcrust pastry that crumbled in th emouth texture is to do it by hand rather than the machine.
I have noticed when I make short crust pastry the tart shells do shrink a bit maybe because of the butter so make sure your tart shells are deep enough.



For theRich Shortcrust pastry: Source

200 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp icing sugar
100 gm cold butter,cubed
1 egg beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp iced water

1. Mix together the flour , icing sugar and salt. Add half of the cubrd butter to the flour.
Gently and swiftly, rub the fat into the flour untill it resembels coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the rest of the butter and mix untill it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center of the dry indgridients.
2. Mix the egg with the lemon juice and water and gradually pour into the well a little at a time, rubbing it through your fingers, untill it forms a dough ( you many not need all the liquid)
Turn out into a flour board and knead lightly intill smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap in a cling film and fefrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. To line the moulds, roll the chilled pastry into a circle using a litle flour so thatit don't stick to the board using the help of the rolling pin , roll the dough onto the pin and then unroll into the butterd tin or mould. Gently press in plces using your fingers.
4. Line the pastey cases with grease proof paper and fill witrh baking beans ( i use dry chick pea). Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and the discard the grease proof paper and baking beans and then further bake for 5 minutes or untill the tart shells are baked fully.
Leave the tart shells to cool completley before you fill them. ( I remove the shells from the tin after 10 minutes and then leave it to further cooling.

For the filling.
300 ml full fat cream
2 tbsp of icing sugar
400 gms of fresh strawberries.
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipp the cold cream together with the sugar and vanilla extract untill they are soft peak.
Spoon the whipped cream to each tart shells and then decorate with sliced strawberries.