If you have never tasted an English Strawberry . . . freshly picked, with the straw still clinging to it's leaves and the warmth of the sun still on it's flesh . . . well, you have missed out on something very special indeed. That is not to say that you can't get lovely berries in other places . . . and I may be a bit biased in saying this . . . but I do believe that English berries are the best!
We are about at the end of ours now . . . which makes me kind of sad because, other than the ones I managed to freeze, or make into jam . . . that's it for a whole 'nother year. Sigh . . . I won't eat berries in the winter that are lacklustre and dull . . . and flown in from hundreds or maybe even thousands of miles away. They just cannot compare to British summer berries. End of.
And so . . . I don't do them any other time of year. Fresh and local does it for me, every time. I took advantage of the last of our berries this year and made a delicious Strawberry Devonshire Tart. I had no made one in ages and ages . . .
I used to make one at least once or twice a season when the kids were growing up. With it's crisp buttery pastry and creamy base . . . not to mention those tart/sweet berries layered on top and glazed with a sweet strawberry glaze, I found myself wondering why I had waited so long?
Why indeed! I had never made one of these for Todd. (We will have been married 14 years in November, which tells you just how long it had been since I made one!) He thoroughly enjoyed. I don't think I'll be getting away without making one next year!
*Strawberry Devonshire Tart*
Makes one 9 inch tartPrintable Recipe
This is a must make every summer. Crisp pastry, with a creamy filling topped with sweet berries and a delicious glaze. Fabulous!
For the pastry:140g of plain flour (1 cup)1 TBS sugar6 TBS butter at room temperature1 large free range egg yolk, beaten with 1 TBS ice water
For the filling1 (150g/3 ounce) package of cream cheese, at room temperature3 TBS sour cream1 TBS icing sugar, sifted900g of strawberriess (about 1 1/2 quarts)200g sugar (1 cup)3 TBS corn flour (cornstarch)
few drops red food colouring
Make the pastry first. Put the flour and sugar into a food processor. Blitz to combine. Drop in the butter, cut into bits. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. With the motor running on low, add the egg yolk mixture a bit at a time to combine. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat round. Wrap with cling film and chill for about half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a 9 inch tart tin with a removable bottom. Roll the pastry out between two sheets of cling film in a round large enough to line the tart tin. Remove the top piece of cling film. Lower the pastry down into the tart tin, centering it. Gently ease it into the corners all around. Pull off the cling film gently and press the pastry into the pan. Trim off any excess by rolling a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Cool completely before proceeding.
Beat the cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar together to combine. Spread on the bottom of the tart base. Wash and hull the berries. Place in an even round covering the cheese mixture, pointed sides up, reserving about 1 cup for glaze. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the glaze. Mash the remaining berries. Put through a sieve into a saucepan. Mix in the sugar and corn flour. Add 113ml of cold water (1/2 cup). Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture is clear and thickened. Allow to cool slightly. Whisk in a couple drops of food colouring. Pour this mixture evenly over top of the berries in the tart. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.