Strawberry tart

Blind-bake the pastry case first: line it with baking paper and baking beans, then bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5–10 minutes until the base is dry and lightly golden; cool it before adding the filling and strawberries.

For a classic fresh strawberry tart, bake the pastry case and filling first, then arrange hulled, well-dried strawberries on top once it has cooled. Brush them with a thin layer of warmed, sieved apricot jam to give them a shine and help keep them in place.

Use a thin layer of pastry cream or thickened custard beneath the fruit, and pat the strawberries dry after washing. Arrange them cut-side down or snugly together, then brush with a little cooled glaze; chill the tart briefly before slicing.

Cover it loosely and refrigerate for up to two days; the pastry is crispest on the day it is made. Let a slice stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving, and avoid freezing a tart topped with fresh strawberries, which can turn soft and watery.

Serve it with lightly whipped cream, crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A little lemon zest or fresh mint also balances the sweetness without masking the strawberries.

A strawberry tart usually has a shallow pastry case with a firm base and an uncovered top, often finished with fresh fruit. Strawberry pie is generally deeper and may have a pastry lid or a cooked fruit filling; per 100 g, strawberry pie has 228 kcal compared with 318 kcal for strawberry tart.

Frozen strawberries release a lot of water as they thaw, so they are better cooked into a filling than used as a fresh-looking topping. Thaw them in a sieve, drain well, and simmer the juice with a little sugar and cornflour until thick before filling a baked pastry case.

A practical portion is one small slice, roughly one-eighth of a standard 20–23 cm tart. A 100 g portion contains 318 kcal, so a smaller slice is a useful choice when the tart is rich with cream or pastry.