Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Custard Tart (food processor)

Fresh Strawberry Custard Tart (food processor)
rec.food.recipes/Tracy Riggs (1998)
Serves 8 to 10

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
1/2 cup powdered sugar (3 ounces)
1 egg
1/2 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

4 eggs
1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla or to taste
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup red currant jelly
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

For pastry:
Insert steel knife. Combine all ingredients except flour in work bowl and mix using 6 on/off turns; then process 5 seconds. (Small pieces of butter will remain.) Add flour and process until dough begins to mass together; do not form ball and overprocess. Place dough in plastic bag. Press into ball, then flatten into disc. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Butter 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Roll pastry out on lightly floured surface into circle about 1/8 inch thick. Press into bottom and sides of prepared pan.

Trim dough 1 inch beyond edge of pan. Fold inch under to form double thickness on sides. Press firmly into place with pastry extending 1/4 inch above the edge of pan.

Crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake until just set, about 12 minutes. Remove paper and beans, prick crust again and continue baking until bottom of crust is lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes (cover edges with foil if necessary.)

Meanwhile, prepare custard:
Insert steel knife in processor.

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in work bowl and blend 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl.

With machine running, pour cream through feed tube and mix 5 seconds. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Pour custard into crust. Bake until custard is medium brown and moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 22 to 24 minutes. Cool crust completely on wire rack.

For topping:
Melt currant jelly in small saucepan over low heat. Using soft pastry brush, carefully spread thin layer of melted jelly over surface of cooled custard.

Arrange strawberry slices in concentric circles over top, overlapping slightly. Brush strawberries and edge of crust with remaining jelly.

Crust and custard can be baked one day ahead and refrigerated.

Bring to room temperature, then add strawberry topping up to several hours before serving.