Strawberry Tart with a Shortbread Crust

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place shortbread crumbs and melted butter in a food processor. Process until mixture begins to come together. Turn into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. As you continue to press the crumbs, the mixture will become almost like a dough. Press evenly around the pan, using a squared off mixing cup to get a nice even crust. Bake for 5-8 minutes in the middle of preheated oven, just until lightly brown. The crust will darken slightly as it cools. Remove carefully to a wire rack. Cool completely.

For pastry cream:
(adapted from The Culinary Institute of America)

In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Place remaining 1 3/4 cups milk in a heavy medium saucepan. Take the vanilla bean halves and scrape into the saucepan the seeds from vanilla bean; then add pod. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup sugar over, letting sugar sink undisturbed to bottom. Set pan over moderate heat and bring to simmer without stirring.

Once it’s simmering, whisk the hot milk mixture, then pull it from heat and gradually whisk it into egg yolk mixture. Return the combined mixture to saucepan over moderate heat and cook, whisking constantly, until pastry cream simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, discard vanilla pod, and whisk cream until smooth. Transfer to bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 4 hours.

For glaze:
Right before assembling tart, melt currant jelly in a small saucepan over low heat. Let cool slightly before using.

To assemble tart:
Spread chilled pastry cream over tart shell. You will use the entire amount. Carefully place strawberry halves over pastry cream in a decorative pattern. Be careful not to push them down into the pastry cream. Lightly glaze the strawberries with the currant jelly glaze using a pastry brush.

Chill the tart for an hour or two. Carefully separate the bottom of the tart pan from the side pan and unmold the tart. Serve immediately.