French Strawberry Tart

French strawberry tart recipe
Samere Fahim Photography / Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Chilling time: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Yield: 1 tart

French fruit tarts are popular in Morocco. In this recipe, whole or sliced strawberries are arranged on a layer of crème patisserie in a baked sweet pastry shell. A strawberry glaze adds sheen to the finished dessert, and a little additional sweetness. Using the freshest strawberries possible, ideally in season, will yield the best-tasting tart.

The 15-minute prep time for this recipe does not reflect the preparation of the sweet pastry shell and crème patisserie. It's easiest to make those ingredients a day or so before assembling the tart. You'll be glad you did because the rest of the assembly is very easy—it only looks really fancy. It just requires a couple of hours to chill before serving.

This tart is light and refreshing, perfect for a spring or summertime dessert. It complements any meal but tastes especially good on a warm day, served after grilled meats and vegetables.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Spread pastry cream across bottom of baked sweet pastry shell.

  3. Arrange strawberries in a pattern over pastry cream.

  4. Heat strawberry jam with lemon juice or water until boiling.

  5. Use a pastry brush to apply strawberry glaze over strawberries.

  6. Refrigerate tart for several hours before serving.

Variations

This tart recipe is versatile. Try it with fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or black raspberries—or some combination of various berries. You can use any kind of berry jam you'd like, too, if you mix up the berries you use.

Tips

  • Plan ahead and make the sweet pastry shell and the crème patisserie for this tart the day before. You will need 3 1/2 to 4 hours to prepare these items for the tart. Cover the pastry shell in plastic wrap and keep the crème patisserie in an airtight container until ready to use.
  • This recipe really requires the use of fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will be too watery, even if you defrost and drain them well.

How to Store

  • Tarts with fresh fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and serve at room temperature.
  • There's no harm in freezing a fruit tart, but the texture won't be the same when it defrosts due to the presence of fresh fruit. It's best to eat within a couple of days of it being made, or share with others if you can't finish it up.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
119 Calories
3g Fat
21g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 103mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 28mg 139%
Calcium 47mg 4%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 133mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)