Fresh strawberry tart

To prepare the fresh strawberry tart first make the shortcrust pastry. Pour the flour into a mixer bowl 1, add the cold butter cut into small pieces 2 and run the blades several times until a grainy texture is obtained. Add the powdered sugar 3

the lightly beaten egg 4, and the grated lemon zest 5. Activate the mixer again for a few moments, this time lowering the speed so that the blades will mix the dough without blending 6. 

As soon as the mixture is ready  7, transfer it to a pastry board 8. Pat it down quickly with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap 9. Then let the shortcrust pastry rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and prepare the pastry cream in the meantime.

Pour the milk, cream and the vanilla pod without the seeds into a pan 1, which will be used to flavor the egg mixture. Turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. Pour the yolks into a separate bowl , add the seeds from the vanilla pod and the sugar 11. Beat quickly with a hand whisk until a uniform mixture is obtained 12. 

Sift the cornstarch directly into the bowl 13 and stir to incorporate the starch well 14. Now remove the vanilla pod from the pan with the milk and cream, take a ladle of the liquid and add it to the egg mixture 15 and mix with a whisk. 

Now pour the mixture into the pan 16, let it thicken over low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk 17. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the cream has thickened 17.Pour the cream into an ovenproof dish and cover with plastic wrap 18. Let it cool down first to room temperature and then in the refrigerator.

Butter and flour an 11" (28 cm) round tart mold. Roll out the shortcrust pastry into a circle as large as the diameter of the baking pan 19, and wrap around the rolling pin to put the shortcrust pastry in the mold 20. Run the rolling pin over the edges 25 to remove the excess dough 26. 

With the tines of a fork, pierce the dough on the bottom and then proceed to bake the crust: cut a circle of baking paper of the same size as the bottom of the tart and place it on top of it, then add ceramic pie weights (or dried beans) 22 and bake in a static oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes. Then take it out of the oven, remove the weights and baking paper 23 and bake again for 7-8 minutes. Once it's ready, let it cool down completely. In the meantime, prepare the syrup by pouring the water into a saucepan and dissolving the sugar over low heat 19. 

Stir and when it starts to boil, add the filtered lemon juice and let it reduce for a few more moments with the flame still lit 25. Transfer the syrup to a bowl and let it cool. Then wash the strawberries and remove the leaves, then cut them in half lengthwise 26. Now you can put the tart together: place the custard on the cooled crust and spread it evenly 27. 

Then, starting from the edges, arrange the strawberries cut in half, place a whole strawberry in the middle 28 and arrange the other strawberry halves in concentric circles. Then brush the strawberries with lukewarm syrup 29 and put the fresh strawberry tart in the refrigerator to cool for at least 3-4 hours before serving, so that the shortcrust pastry softens in contact with the cream and the latter becomes firmer 30!