Strawberry Tart

Desserts

A crisp, buttery pâte sablée shell filled with vanilla-scented diplomat cream and topped with rows of perfectly ripe strawberries. The cream is light and mousse-like, the pastry crumbles cleanly with each bite, and the strawberries taste like the sweet summer. Make this when strawberries are at their peak and you want to create something that looks as stunning as it tastes.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 8

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Ingredients  

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For the Pâte Sablée

• 250 gr plain flour
• 125 gr unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 100 gr icing sugar
• 2 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod
• pinch salt

For the Crème Diplomate

• 500 ml whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 egg yolks
• 125 gr caster sugar
• 40 gr cornflour
• 1 tsp agar agar powder
• 300 ml Double cream well chilled

For the Topping

• 600 gr fresh strawberries small to medium, perfectly ripe

Equipment

• fluted flan dish
• food processor or bowl and pastry cutter
• rolling pin
• baking beans or rice
• saucepan
• whisk
• sieve
• mixing bowl
• electric mixer
• spatula

Instructions

1. 1. Make the pâte sablée

   Pulse the flour, icing sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, about 10-15 short pulses. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then pulse just until the dough starts to clump together. Don't overwork it.

   Turn the dough out onto your work surface and bring it together gently with your hands. Shape it into a disc about 2cm thick, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This rest is crucial, it prevents shrinking and gives you a properly sandy, crumbly texture.
2. 2. Blind bake the tart shell

   Roll out the chilled pastry between two sheets of baking paper until it's about 3mm thick and roughly 30cm in diameter. Remove the top sheet, then flip the pastry into your fluted flan dish. Press it gently into the corners and trim the excess. Prick the base all over with a fork.

   Chill the tart shell for another 30 minutes. This second chill prevents shrinking.

   Meanwhile, heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F). Line the fluted flan dish with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and beans. Brush the base lightly with a beaten egg if you want an extra-crisp seal (optional), then return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes until golden and completely dry. Let it cool completely in the fluted flan dish.
3. 3. Make the crème pâtissière

   To make a crème diplomate, you first need to make a crème pâtissière. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds (or extract), and bring to just below boiling point. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes of vigorous whisking. Add the cornflour and whisk until smooth.

   Remove the vanilla pod from the milk. Pour about a third of the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour this back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to medium heat.

   Whisk constantly while the mixture thickens, this takes about 2-3 minutes. It'll go from liquid to thick custard quite suddenly. Keep whisking for another minute after it's thickened to cook out the cornflour.

   Sprinkle the agar agar powder over the hot custard and whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes to ensure it's completely dissolved and incorporated. The agar agar will help stabilize the cream when you add the whipped cream later.

   Transfer to a clean bowl, press cling film directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, and let it cool to room temperature, about 1-2 hours. Do not refrigerate yet.
4. 4. Make the crème diplomate

   Once the crème pâtissière is at room temperature, whisk it gently with a hand whisk to loosen it and make it smooth again.

   In a separate large bowl, whip the cold double cream to soft peaks, it should hold its shape but still be quite soft and billowy, not stiff.

   Gently fold the whipped cream into the crème pâtissière in three additions, using a rubber spatula and a light hand. The mixture should be light, airy, and mousse-like. This is crème diplomate, lighter than crème pâtissière, more stable than plain whipped cream, and the traditional filling for French fruit tarts.

   Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the agar agar set the cream properly before assembling the tart.
5. 5. Assemble the tart

   Spread the chilled crème diplomate into the cooled tart shell, smoothing it level with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. You want it about 1.5cm deep, enough to support the strawberries without overwhelming them.

   Hull the strawberries and cut larger ones in half lengthways. Arrange them over the cream. Pack them relatively tightly, you want a full carpet of berries, not sparse coverage.

   Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let everything set. Eat within 4-6 hours for the best texture, after that, the berries start releasing juice and the pastry softens.

Notes

• Pâte sablée means sandy dough, and that’s exactly what you’re after, a crumbly, short-textured pastry, not elastic or chewy. Cold butter and minimal handling are key. If you don’t have a food processor, rub the butter into the flour quickly with your fingertips, then add the wet ingredients.
• Crème diplomate is crème pâtissière lightened with whipped cream and stabilized with agar agar (or traditionally, gelatin). It’s lighter than straight pastry cream but more stable than plain whipped cream. The agar agar is essential, it prevents the cream from becoming soupy when you fold in the whipped cream and helps it hold its shape in the tart.
• Agar agar is a plant-based gelling agent derived from seaweed, making this recipe vegetarian-friendly. It sets at room temperature and creates a softer, more delicate set than gelatin. Make sure to whisk it into the hot custard vigorously so it dissolves completely, any lumps will create an unpleasant texture.
• You can make the pastry shell a day ahead and store it in an airtight container. The crème pâtissière can be made up to the point of adding whipped cream and stored in the fridge for 1 day. Fold in the whipped cream and assemble the tart on the day you’re serving it. Once assembled, eat within 4-6 hours.
• Strawberry selection: Small to medium berries work best, the giant ones look impressive but taste of water. French gariguette or mara des bois varieties are ideal if you can find them.
• Timing matters with this tart. Make it during peak strawberry season, May through July in most places, when berries are naturally sweet and fragrant. Avoid winter strawberries that taste like cardboard. The French wait all year for their gariguettes in May, and there’s a reason for that. If your strawberries don’t smell like anything, they won’t taste like anything either. Buy them from farmers’ markets when possible, and use them the day you buy them for the best flavor.

About this recipe

The strawberry tart “tarte aux fraises” is French pâtisserie at its most straightforward, three excellent components, carefully made, nothing disguised. You’ll find versions in every boulangerie-pâtisserie from late spring through summer, usually sitting in the window looking impossibly pristine.

Crème diplomate
The classic construction uses crème diplomate, a lightened version of crème pâtissière that became popular in French pastry in the early-to-mid 20th century. It’s essentially crème pâtissière stabilized with gelatin (or agar agar) and folded with whipped cream. The name “diplomate” comes from its use in the classic Diplomat pudding, a molded dessert from the 19th century. French pâtissiers adopted the technique for fruit tarts because the cream holds its shape beautifully while remaining light and creamy.

Pâte sablée itself is medieval in origin, the word appears in French recipe books from the 1600s, describing a pastry with a sandy, crumbly texture from a high ratio of fat to flour. It’s different from pâte sucrée (which uses whole eggs and has a firmer, cookie-like texture) and definitely not pâte brisée (which is savory shortcrust). The French are extremely particular about these distinctions.

In France, you’ll see seasonal variations throughout the year, tarte aux framboises (raspberries), tarte aux myrtilles (blueberries), even tarte aux figues (figs) in autumn. But the strawberry version from May to July is the most iconic. Markets in the south of France, particularly around Carpentras and the Vaucluse, are famous for their early-season berries, and every pâtisserie makes these tarts when the first strawberries arrive.

The French eat this as a celebration cake for summer birthdays and at garden lunches. It’s not a dessert for weeknights, it’s an occasion tart, the kind you make when you want to show off. Which is fine, because it’s impressive when done right. Worth every minute.