Strawberry Tart with Almond Cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place a 9 inch tart ring on a baking sheet. Roll out the pate sucree and line the tart ring. Prick with fork to dock the pastry onto the pan and prevent it from bubbling when baked.

Put the almond cream into a pastry bag. Starting in the center of the pastry shell, pipe the cream into the shell in circles, working your way outwards. This will create a good even coverage. Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is lightly browned. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Lift off the tart ring and allow to cool further.

To serveSpread a thin layer of jam over the tart. Top with the strawberries in concentric rings, with the points of each strawberry facing the center of the tart. If you wish you can glaze the tart at this point with a little strawberry jam heated with some sugar syrup to form a thin glaze. Alternatively, sprinkle the tart with confectioners sugar and serve.

In a small saucepan, add the milk, flour and grated zest. Whisk away any lumps, and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and barely boils. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and pale. Add the thickened milk mixture and whisk together until completely combined. The filling will now be quite runny. Bring a pot of water to the boil that you will be able to sit the bowl in. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue whisking for a few minutes until the mixture re thickens. Remove bowl from the heat. Add the almonds and stir to combine. Refrigerate with a layer of plastic wrap over the surface of the filling. This will prevent the filling from forming a skin that will cause lumps. Do not use assemble the tart until the filling has nearly cool.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Butter and lightly flour a baking sheet. Cut the puff pastry into 2 even pieces. Set one aside under plastic wrap while you work with the other. On a floured work surface, roll the first piece of pastry out into a rough circle about 12 inches in diameter. Trim the circle to get give the pastry some nice sharp edges and make the whole thing look a little better. Transfer the pastry to the baking sheet. Roll the second piece of pastry into a similar sized circle.

Spoon the filling onto the pastry that is sitting on the baking sheet. With a knife, distribute it evenly over the pastry to within an inch of the edge. With a pastry brush, wet the 1 inch border of pastry with the egg and milk wash. Top with the second circle of pastry and trim any edges that don't line up.

Brush the top of the tart with the egg and milk wash. Use just enough of the wash to wet the pastry without allowing the wash to pool in low spots. Cut six 1 inch slits in the top of the crust in a radial pattern like the spokes of a bicycle. Put the tart in the center of the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool before serving. Serve with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.