CRUST

• Preheat your oven to 425°F. Thoroughly grease an 11-inch tart pan and set aside
• Start by making your crust. In a bowl, stir together your flour and salt. Rub your cold, cubed butter into your flour until it resembles coarse sand
• Add in your cold water and mix, then press together into a dough ball
• Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a ⅛-inch thick circle
• Peel off the top piece of parchment paper, place it back down, flip, and peel off the “new” top piece of parchment paper. Invert into your greased tart pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides. Trim the excess dough but leave a ¼-inch lip of dough that sticks up above the edge of your tart pan. This will prevent it from shrinking as it bakes. Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes
• Remove your tart from the fridge and place it on a baking sheet. Dock the bottom of your cold dough with a fork, then crinkle one of your sheets of parchment paper, and lay it gently in the tart pan, covering your crust. Pour in your pie weights and smooth to an even layer
• Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven, and carefully lift out your parchment paper with the pie weights. Return to the oven and bake another 10-12 minutes until your crust looks dry and lightly golden
• Remove and cool completely

FILLING

• In a bowl, whisk together your eggs and sugar for one minute. Whisk your cornstarch and flour into your egg/sugar mixture. Whisking until everything is incorporated
• Heat milk and vanilla in a medium pot over medium-high heat until tiny active bubbles appear at the rim of the mixture
• Once the milk heats, stream in ⅓ of the liquid into your egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat with another third, whisk, and then the final third, until all is incorporated
• Rinse your pot with cold water to cool it down and wipe out any residue. Return all of the liquid to the pot and place it over medium heat
• You’ll notice it thickens on the bottom of the pot first, so make sure to constantly whisk (don’t worry, it will smooth out!). Once it’s thickened and whisking smooth, immediately remove from heat. Add in a piece of butter at a time, stirring, before adding in another until all is incorporated
• Pour into a clean bowl and cover the surface of your pastry cream with parchment paper, then set aside to cool to room temperature (30-60 minutes). You must stick your parchment paper to the top of your cream to prevent a thick skin from forming while it cools
• Once your cream has cooled, make your whipped cream. In a bowl, add your heavy cream and powdered sugar, then whip with a mixer until soft peaks form
• Gently fold your whipped cream into your pastry cream until smooth and just combined
• If you want a visually smooth crust on your tart, use a microplane to gently “shave” down the excess lip. You don’t have to do this step (I often don’t)
• Spread your cream filling into your cooled pie shell. Place in the fridge while you prep your strawberry topping

STRAWBERRIES + ASSEMBLY

• Place your halved strawberries in a bowl
• Add your strawberry jam to a pot and place it over medium-low heat. Stir until “melted,” and you have a smooth, glossy sauce
• Pour the jam-sauce into the bowl with your cut strawberries and stir to coat
• Remove the pan from your tart by centering it over a glass and gently pressing the sides of the pan down. Then use a knife to loosen the bottom of the pan from your tart carefully, and slowly slide your tart onto a serving plate
• Working from the center outward, lay your halved strawberries in a circle, cut side down and pointing towards the center. Have each new row slightly overlap the row in front of it, until you reach the edge
• Place your pie back in the fridge for another 30 minutes for that strawberry layer to firm up. Slice and serve as is or with a dusting of powdered sugar!