Strawberry Tart -- Because Sometimes Love Shows Up as Pie

Last week of February. Snow Monday, gone by noon, then rain through Thursday. Made beef stew — the real kind. Chuck roast cut into cubes, browned in batches because you cannot crowd the meat. I browned the beef in six batches and deglazed with red wine and added carrots and potatoes and onion and celery and tomato paste and beef stock and thyme and bay leaves and set it in the oven at 325 for three hours and the house smelled like somebody lives here and that somebody gives a damn.

Amber called Thursday. She and James are getting more serious — four months, dinners every week. She's met his parents on FaceTime. His mother, Adunni, lives in Houston. Amber says James talks about his father the way I talk about Earl — with a reverence that has weight. She said she thinks James might be the one. I said how do you know. She said the way you knew about Mom — you knew because she showed up. James shows up.

Connie made a coconut cream pie Sunday. Unusual because Connie does not bake and the kitchen is my territory. But she wanted pie and she made pie and it was good — a little heavy on the coconut, a little light on the cream, but emotionally perfect because my wife made me a pie for no reason other than she wanted to, and if that's not love I don't know what is.

Connie’s coconut cream pie reminded me that dessert doesn’t have to be an occasion — it can just be a gesture, quiet and sincere. I didn’t make this strawberry tart that week, but I’ve made it since, thinking about what Amber said: that James shows up, the way Connie shows up, the way the people worth keeping always do. A tart like this takes a little patience — the shell, the cream, the arranging of fruit — but that’s exactly the point. Effort is a form of love, and this one is worth every careful step.

Strawberry Tart

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Tart Shell
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• 2–3 tablespoons ice water
• Pastry Cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Topping
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam or red currant jelly
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Make the tart shell. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Stir in the egg yolk, then add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Blind bake the shell. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment and bake another 8–10 minutes until the shell is golden and dry. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Make the pastry cream. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and half the sugar over medium heat until just steaming — do not boil. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, remaining sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until pale and smooth. Slowly pour the warm milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the cream thickens and just begins to bubble, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour.
4. Assemble the tart. Spread the chilled pastry cream evenly into the cooled tart shell. Arrange the halved strawberries in concentric circles over the cream, cut side down, starting from the outer edge and working inward.
5. Glaze the fruit. Warm apricot jam (or currant jelly) with water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Strain if needed, then brush gently over the strawberries for a glossy finish. Refrigerate the tart for 20–30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 105mg