Amanda Laird: Strawberry tart

Photo / Babiche Martens

Serves 6

Pastry

180g chilled butter, diced

1 Tbsp caster sugar

240g flour

1 egg

2 tsp iced water, approximately

Pastry Cream (creme patissiere)

2 cups full-fat milk

1 vanilla bean, split

5 egg yolks

3/4 cup caster sugar

50g cornflour

1 cup strawberries, sliced

Icing sugar

1. To make the pastry; put the butter, sugar and flour into a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Whisk the egg and iced water together then add with the motor running. As soon as the mixture holds together stop the machine, remove the pastry and wrap in plastic wrap before refrigerating for at least 1 hour.

3. To make the pastry cream; heat the milk with the vanilla bean in a saucepan. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until thick then pour on the hot milk and continue whisking until smooth.

4. Rinse out the saucepan before returning the mixture to it then stir continuously over a medium heat until thick and smooth. Pour through a strainer into a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate. The vanilla bean can be washed and dried for later use or popped into the sugar jar.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C. Roll out the pastry to line a 22cm loose-bottomed flan or tart tin. Let rest for 15 minutes before baking blind for 15 minutes.

6. When the pastry case is cold, fill with the pastry cream, top with strawberries and dust with icing sugar.