Fresh Strawberry Tart

Easy to achieve a stunning result!

Serves 4 people

Pastry Tart crust
you will need a pre-cooked shallow sweet pastry pie crust
(make your own favourite recipe or buy one!).
I make mine in a 20 cm old fashioned pie plate!

Filling
500gms (or more) of fresh ripe Willow Creek Strawberries .  
Quickly, and carefully, wash, drain, hull and pat dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.
Take half the strawberries, cut them in halves or quarters
and arrange them over the base of the pastry case.

Roughly mash the other half of the strawberries,
mix through about 1/2  cup of white sugar,
pop them in a saucepan and slowly bring them to a simmer on the stove top, stirring and paying close attention.
You don't want them to burn or catch!

Meanwhile in a bowl mix together to a paste
2or 3 tablespoons of cornflour
with 2 or 3 tablespoons of cold water together
with 2  tablespoons of fresh lime juice

Feel free to use lemon juice, orange juice or an orange liqueur instead of lime!
Pour this paste into the simmering strawberries, stirring until the mixture thickens. 
You might at this stage want to taste this strawberry sauce and add more sugar, lime to taste.
For an easy pie this mixture can now be poured over the fresh strawberries in the pie case.

BUT.... make it look really special, sieve the strawberry puree

to remove as many of the seeds as possible.
You now have a beautiful strawberry sauce/glaze for your tart. 

Pour evenly over the strawberries in the tart case and refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.
Serve with thick, thick cream! Ravenhill's Traditional Cream of Course!

29th September 2006