Darren’s Strawberry Tart

Stand mixers at the ready - it’s Patisserie week! Darren’s luscious layered Strawberry Tart recipe was a delightful fusion of perfect pastry, creamy filling, and fresh strawberries. Find the full recipe below:

Watch the new season of the Foxtel Original The Great Australian Bake Off, Wednesdays at 8.30pm on LifeStyle or on demand.

INGREDIENTS 

Sable Breton

55g egg yolks

105g caster sugar

105g salted butter, softened

150g plain flour

10g baking powder

Whipped Crème Pâtissière

4g gold gelatine leaves

240g milk

10g vanilla paste

55g sugar caster

16g cornflour

16g plain flour

1 egg

2 egg yolks

17g unsalted butter

Strawberry Cream

6g gold gelatine leaves

190g strawberry puree

60g egg yolks

60g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter

1 drop red food colouring

Jelly

14g gold gelatine leaves

75g sugar caster

350ml water

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp agar powder

75ml peach schnapps

Strawberry layer

2 punnets of strawberries, sliced 2mm rounds

White chocolate collar and curls

300g white chocolate

METHOD

1. For the sable Breton; Pre-heat the oven to 170C. Line a tray.

Place the yolks and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until pale and fluffy. Add the butter and mix until smooth. Remove from mixer and use a spatula to fold through the flour and baking powder.

Place an 18cm cake ring onto the tray. Weigh 300 grams into the ring and use a small palette knife to flatten to an even thickness. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked, turning the tray halfway through baking to ensure even browning.

Once baked, remove the ring and refrigerate.

2. For the whipped crème pâtissière; soak the gelatine in iced cold water. Once soft, remove and squeeze out excess water.

In a medium saucepan bring the milk and vanilla to the boil.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornflour, plain flour, and eggs into a smooth paste. Pour in the boiling milk, whisking constantly. Return to the saucepan and cook over a high heat. Continue to whisk constantly until the mix thickens and just starts to boil.

Take off the heat, add the gelatine and butter, mix well to combine. Strain the crème pâtissière into a clean tray, cover the surface with cling film and place in the fridge until firm.

3. For the strawberry cream; soak the gelatine in iced cold water, once soft, remove and squeeze out excess water.

Place the strawberry puree, egg yolks and sugar into a bowl. Use a hand whisk to combine.

Transfer the mixture into a saucepan and stir constantly with a spatula over a low heat until it reaches 85C. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Add the gelatine, butter and food colouring. Use a stick blender to emulsify into a smooth cream. Place into the fridge, stirring occasionally until cool.

4. To whip the crème pâtissière, once cold and firm, whip until light and fluffy.

Line a tray. Cover the base of an 18cm cake ring with a tight cover of cling film. Place onto the tray, cling film side down. Spoon all the crème pâtissière into the ring, smooth the surface with a palette knife and place in the freezer to set.

5. For the strawberry cream layer; once cool, pour all the strawberry cream on top of the set crème pâtissière layer and return it to the freezer to set.

6. For the jelly; soak the gelatine in iced cold water, once soft, remove and squeeze out excess water.

Place the sugar, water, vanilla, and agar powder into a medium saucepan, stir well to dissolve the agar powder. Boil for one minute.

Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine and the Peach schnapps. Pour into a jug. Leaving the fork in the jug, stir occasionally to help cool and to stop a skin from forming.

7. To build the tart; Remove the combined cream layers from the freezer, checking they are set to the touch.

Carefully place the sable Breton on top. Place a lined tray on top of the ring and carefully flip it upside down. The sable Breton will now be on the bottom. Carefully run a small knife around the inside of the ring so the creams drop down into place. Keep in the ring mould.

Place a single layer of strawberry rounds over the surface of the tart to completely cover.

Ensuring the jelly is no more than 40C, pour a thin layer evenly over the top, so that it just covers all the strawberries. Return to the freezer to set. It will take less time than you think, so monitor closely. Once set, add a second layer of strawberry rounds, and pour more jelly to fill to the top of the ring. Discard any remaining jelly. Return to the fridge.

8. For the white chocolate collar and curls, place the white chocolate into the microwave. Half melt it, ensuring small fine pieces remain. Remove from microwave and hand mix, until completely smooth with no visible lumps.

Using a marble slab, or clean cold bench top, spread melted white chocolate in a rectangle shape approximately 10cm wide and 15cm long. It should be at least 4 mm thick. Once it is touch dry, using a large chef’s knife on a 45-degree angle, working away from yourself, shave the chocolate to make three chocolate curls approximately 10 cm long. Place curls in the fridge.

Place a piece of acetate strip (60cm x 6cm) flat across your clean bench. Use a spatula to evenly spread across a thin layer of chocolate. Wait for it be touch dry.

Place your tart, still in the ring mould, onto a cake stand, supporting the base with a large palette knife. Carefully run a hot, thin-bladed knife around the inside edge of the mould to remove it. Dust away any crumbs.

Pick up your white chocolate strip and wrap it around the outside of the tart to create a collar and return to the fridge.

9. To serve; once tart has set, carefully remove the acetate, place three chocolate curls across the middle. Serve.