There are some recipes that, you don’t quite know why, take a long time to get published. And then, once you’ve decided to do it, it’s not the right time, not the right season, and then it gets forgotten, buried deep in your recipe drafts. That’s the fate that befell this pretty strawberry tart, poor thing! It’s a recipe I made nearly 2 years ago (on the occasion of my trip to Mont-Saint-Michel for a cooking battle in La Mère Poulard’s kitchens). A really lovely experience and some wonderful encounters!
The strawberry tart made for the battle wasn’t as pretty (ah, it’s not so easy to bake under pressure and outside your comfort zone), but I’d promised myself I’d make this recipe again once back home. So I used La Mère Poulard’s biscuits, jam and cider (since we had to cook with the La Mère Poulard products available to us). Of course, you use whatever you like, whatever you enjoy or whatever you have in the cupboard. It’s the kind of simple and quick recipe that’s a pleasure to eat… why not for Mother’s Day? 😉
Ingredients & Method
6 components · Full recipe
Reconstituted Biscuit
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) La Mère Poulard shortbread biscuits
- 60 g (2.1 oz) melted butter
- zest of 1 lime
Method
1
Melt the butter in the microwave.
2
Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb. Add the lime zest.
3
Add the melted butter and mix with your hands until the texture resembles wet sand.
4
Spread the mixture into an 18 cm (7.1 in) ring to a depth of about 5 mm using a spoon. Press down firmly. Set aside.
Almond Sponge
Ingredients
- 65 g (2.3 oz) whole eggs
- 25 g (0.9 oz) egg yolks
- 70 g (2.5 oz) sugar
- 110 g (3.9 oz) ground almonds
- 25 g (0.9 oz) flour
- 55 g (1.9 oz) melted butter
- 40 g (1.4 oz) egg whites
- 30 g (1.1 oz) sugar
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
2
Whisk the egg whites with the sugar to stiff peaks and set aside.
3
Melt the butter in the microwave.
4
Combine all the remaining ingredients in order, then fold in the hot melted butter followed by the meringue.
5
Pour over the reconstituted biscuit base to a depth of about 1 cm (0.4 in).
6
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack at room temperature.
Strawberry Compote
Ingredients
- 160 g (5.6 oz) strawberries
- 1 tablespoon La Mère Poulard strawberry jam
- juice of half a lime
- zest of half a lime
- a pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
Zest the lime into a bowl.
2
Add the strawberry jam, the strawberries cut into pieces, the juice and zest of half a lime, and the pinch of fleur de sel. Mix everything together.
Vanilla Mascarpone Chantilly
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) heavy cream
- 75 g (2.6 oz) mascarpone
- 4 to 5 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
Method
1
Place the bowl and electric whisk attachments in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
2
Pour all the ingredients into the bowl and begin whisking at medium speed. Once the cream starts to firm up slightly, increase the speed. The cream will gradually mount and stiffen.
3
Check the consistency from time to time by stopping the mixer. The cream is ready when it is completely set — if you tip the bowl upside down, it should not fall out. Be careful not to over-whip, as this risks making the cream greasy or turning it to butter. Know when to stop.
4
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain 15 mm nozzle and refrigerate until assembly.
Cider Jelly
Ingredients
- 80 g (2.8 oz) La Mère Poulard cider
- 3 g (0.1 oz) gelatine (one and a half sheets)
Method
1
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
2
Heat the cider in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat and stir in the squeezed gelatine.
3
Pour into a frame to a depth of 1 cm (0.4 in).
4
Leave to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate (or freeze if you’re short on time).
Assembly
Ingredients
- strawberries
- zest of 1 lime
- the cider jelly cut into small cubes
- a few fresh mint leaves
Method
1
Place the biscuit and almond sponge base on a serving plate.
2
Using a tablespoon, spread some strawberry compote over the entire surface, taking care not to go too close to the edges.
3
Pipe evenly spaced balls of chantilly cream.
4
Arrange the strawberries and zest a lime over the top.
5
Add the cider jelly cubes and mint leaves.
6
Here is the tart made for the battle… quite a different look, isn’t it?
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