It’s Spring again, which means strawberries will be sprouting up at the local grocery store. Learn how to turn these sweet, succulent fruits into mini-strawberry tarts with a vanilla custard filling to give to friends or serve at parties. This simple, yet delicious three-part recipe will definitely satisfy everybody’s sweet tooth.
For the crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large, beaten eggs
For the custard
1 package of instant vanilla pudding
2 cups cold milk
½ cup of thawed Cool Whip
1 tablespoon strawberry jam or preserves (optional)
For the toppings or glaze
4 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
2 tablespoons water
12 strawberries with leaves still on
Before you begin, flip a 12-muffin pan upside down, so that the cups are pointing upwards. Grease the cups and then set the pan aside to get started on the tarts.
Making the crust
Start by beating the sugar and butter together in a medium sized bowl until fluffy. Then, mix in the beaten eggs, and whisk everything until it is mixed completely. Mixing by hand is a lot more traditional and easier to control, but if you’re short on time then feel free to use a hand blender or a regular blender on low speeds to get the job done.
In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, then add them to the wet mixture. Continue to mix all of the ingredients until you form a ball of dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then refrigerate for at least two hours. During the elapsed time, you can make the custard filling and the strawberry glaze.
After two hours, preheat the oven to 400°F, and remove the dough from the bowl.
With a rolling pin, flatten the dough to about half a centimeter or more, depending on how thick you want the crust to be. Using a circle cookie cutter with a diameter of about 4 inches, cut out 12 circles, and wrap them around each cup of the muffin tin. Poke holes on the top of every crust with a fork to prevent the tarts from puffing before baking it for five minutes.
Then, decrease the temperature to 350°F and bake for around 12 minutes, or until the crusts are light brown. These crusts can be stored in a tupperware container for about a week or two in the refrigerator.
Making the custard
Mix the milk and instant pudding together for about two minutes. If the pudding isn’t thick enough, fold in the Cool Whip with a baking spatula.
Putting it all together
To make the glaze, mix the jam and water together in a saucepan over low heat, whisking until everything is completely combined and has a sticky consistency.
As you assemble your final product, start by slicing each strawberry from right under the stem to the end, so the leaves can hold the berry together. Fan out the slices, and set them aside; these will be your toppings. Using a pastry brush, glaze the inside of the crusts so the custard won’t make it all soggy. Fill each crust about three quarters full, and place a fanned out strawberry right in the middle. Brush over with more glaze to seal the dessert and give it a nice shine. This fresh, yet classic recipe is perfect for making use of seasonal fruits.