Strawberry Tarte

 

Crust

1 1/4 cup (125g) ladyfinger crumbs

1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted

1. combine both well.  Press into bottom of a greased, and with parchment paper lined 9" springform

2. bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Cool

Ganache

1/4 cup (60ml) whipping cream

2 tablespoons (30g) butter

3 ounces (90g) dark baking/couverture chocolate

1. melt whipping cream, butter and chocolate. Pour over cooled crust. Refrigerate

At this point, you will need to cover the sides of the springform with acetate band for baking

Pastry Cream

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream

1 vanilla pod

2 tablespoons (15g) cornstarch

1/2 cup (99g) sugar

2 egg yolks

1. cut vanilla pod lengthwise and scratch out seeds

2. pour cream (except 1 tablespoon) into saucepan, add vanilla pod and seeds, and simmer for 1 minute. Sieve to discard vanilla

3. whisk egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside

4. mix cornstarch with reserved cream until no lumps appear. 

5. add cornstarch and egg yolks to cream, and with heat on low, whisk until you have a pudding like consistency. Transfer to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the cream to prevent the appearance of a skin. Cool to room temperature

6. spread evenly over chocolate ganache

 Strawberries

wash strawberries, and cut off stems. You can either arrange whole or halved strawberries on top of pastry cream. This will also determine how much gelatin you will be needing

Gelatin

10 gelatin sheets

1 cup (240ml) water

1 cup (240ml) grape juice

1. place gelatin sheets in a bowl with water until they have softened. Using your hands, squeeze the water out of the sheets

2. in a medium saucepan, warm up water (do not boil), add gelatin, and whisk until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Add grape juice, and allow to cool completely. You can speed up the process by placing the pan in ice cold water

3. pour over strawberries making sure they are completely covered. Refrigerate until set