Tudor Strawberry Tart
Strawberry filling in a shortcrust with sliced strawberries in the shape of a Tudor rose
City/Region: England
Time Period: 1545
Strawberries have always been popular, but it used to be that, in Europe, they were mostly a wild fruit. Only the very rich could afford to cultivate strawberries, as the plants took up a lot of space, and they only produced a small amount of tiny fruit once a year. Thankfully, the mishap of a well-intentioned French spy and the ingenuity of a royal gardener gave us the large modern strawberry.
This is truly one of the best things I’ve made. The strawberry flavor really pops and is almost like a strawberry candy or jam. The texture is not as smooth as a custard, but is still fairly smooth and has a wonderful lightness to it. You could really use any crust for this that you like. The one here is crumbly and buttery, but is really just a vessel for the phenomenal strawberry filling.
“To Make A Tarte Of Strawberyes.
Take and strayne theym wyth the yolkes and foure egges, and a lyttle whyte breade grated, then season it up wyth suger and swete butter and so bake it.
To Make Short Paest for Tarte.
Take fyne floure and a cursey of fayre water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the yolks of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.”
Ingredients:
Dough
- 2 cups (250 g) flour
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
- A pinch of saffron threads (optional)
Filling
- 1 lb (450 g) hulled strawberries
- 4 egg yolks
- Heaping 1/2 cup (90 g) breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) butter
Instructions:
- For the dough: Sift the flour into a large bowl. If you’re using the saffron, grind it in a mortar and pestle, then whisk it into the flour. It’s really just there for coloring, so feel free to omit it if you don’t want to use your saffron for this.
- Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour until it has the texture of fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolks and work them into the flour, then add a couple of tablespoons of the cold water and work it in. Add more water as needed, just enough for the dough to come together. You may not need the whole 1/4 cup.
- Once the dough comes together, knead it for 10 to 15 seconds, just to help it become cohesive. Shape it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc. Wrap it and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or you can use it right away. They probably wouldn’t have chilled the dough back then, but it won’t shrink as much when you bake it if it's chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Roll the dough out into a circle that’s large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a bit overhanging. Place the dough into the pan, making sure it gets down into the corners.
- Dock the bottom of the crust, then line it with parchment and add some baking beans. Bake the crust for 7 minutes. Take it out and remove the parchment and baking beans. Trim off the tart dough that was hanging over the sides, then place the parchment and baking beans back in the tart, and return it to the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes or until it’s fully cooked. Let it cool completely.
- For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Mash the strawberries into a fine pulp, or puree them in a blender. Pass them through a strainer (don’t use a fine mesh strainer for this), and press as much through as you can until you have the juice and fine pulp. You can discard whatever remains in the strainer.
- Whisk the egg yolks into the strawberry juice until smooth. Stir in the breadcrumbs until evenly combined. Whisk in the sugar. Cut the butter into little pieces and stir them in (no need to melt the butter or try to get it to fully incorporate).
- Add the filling to the cooked and cooled crust and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool completely.
- Decorate the top with sliced strawberries if you wish (I attempted a Tudor rose that I think kind of worked), then slice and serve it forth.