Strawberry Crostata with Pastry Cream is a true Italian classic. Fresh, elegant, and irresistibly delicious, it is a dessert often served for family Sunday lunches, celebrations, and special occasions throughout Italy.
The combination of buttery shortcrust pastry, silky pastry cream, and sweet fresh strawberries creates a perfect balance of flavors and textures. One small but important step makes this tart especially beautiful: brushing the strawberries with liquid gelatin before chilling. This helps the fruit retain its vibrant color, prevents it from drying out, and gives the tart a gorgeous glossy finish when it arrives at the table.
Patience is essential for this recipe. Once assembled, the crostata should rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. This allows the cream to set properly and all the flavors to come together, resulting in a refreshing and elegant dessert that is well worth the wait.
Crostata with Pasticiera cream and fresh Strawberry
Equipment
- 26 cm baking pan
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Mixing bowl for the cream
- Small saucepan for the cream
Ingredients
Crostata Pastry
- 300 gr flour
- 150 gr cold butter
- 120 gr powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- zest of 1 lemon
- salt
Cream
- 400 ml milk
- 100 ml cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 140 gr powdered sugar
- 45 gr cornstarch or flour
- vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon
Tart decoration
- 350 gr 350 g fresh strawberries
- 2 tbsp gelatin
- 1 tbsp jam
Instructions
Shortcrust Pastry
- We begin preparing the Italian strawberry tart with the pastry. Place the flour in a bowl, add the cold butter (photo 1), and rub it in with your hands. The mixture should remain crumbly, but the butter should absorb the flour. Grate the lemon zest and add the egg yolks (photo 2). Quickly knead the dough directly in the bowl (photo 3), so that the butter does not melt too much.
- Cover the shortcrust pastry with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (photo 4). Then roll out the chilled dough slightly larger than the bottom of the pan plus the sides of the pan (photo 5). Carefully transfer the dough into the pan (photo 6). Trim the edges and prick the base frequently with a fork (photo 7).
- Cover the dough with baking paper and fill it with lentils for weight (photo 8), or use peas or beans, so that the pastry does not rise during baking.Bake the pastry together with the weights (lentils) at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow the shortcrust base for our strawberry tart to cool completely, without removing the paper and weights (photo 9), until it has cooled.
Cream
- Pour the milk and cream together with the lemon zest and vanilla into a saucepan (photo 10) and heat well over low heat. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the starch and sugar (photo 11). Pour the hot milk into this mixture through a sieve (photo 12), so that the lemon zest does not end up in the finished cream.
- Now pour the cream mixture from the bowl back into the saucepan, place it over low heat, and, stirring continuously with a whisk, bring it to a boil (photo 13). Turn off the heat, cover tightly with a lid, and allow the cream to cool (photo 14).
Decorating the Tart
- Carefully remove the baked pastry base from the cooled pan. Fill it with the cooled cream (photo 15). Smooth the cream with a spatula (photo 16).
- Slice the strawberries into thin slices and arrange them over the surface of the tart (photo 16).
Gelatin
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons of gelatin and 1 tablespoon of jam in 1/3 cup of boiling water (photo 17). Brush the strawberries with this mixture using a pastry brush or feather brush, or simply pour it over and spread it across the berries with a teaspoon dipped in the gelatin mixture.
Let the Tart Set
- Place the strawberry tart in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Then serve chilled.
