Strawberry Tart with Chocolate Crust

For the crust:
Chop the almonds in the food processor until it’s a coarse flour. Add, cocoa, sugar, flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add diced cold butter, and blend until fully combined. Add vanilla paste and egg, and blend until just combined. Don’t knead the dough or it will make the crust shrink when baked.

Form a disc or flat square of the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Spray a 14-inch rectangular removable-bottom tart pan with non-stick spray.

Flour your work surface generously, place the cold dough on top and flour the dough. Roll it out into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle, so it fits the tart pan.

Transfer the dough to the pie pan, and gently mold to fit it into the corners and up the side of the pan. Cut off the overhanging dough to fit perfectly into the pan. If the dough sticks, use a bench scraper or a spatula to get it off your work surface. If the dough gets too soft, put it into the freezer for a few minutes. Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).

Line the crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake the crust until edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights, and bake the crust for another 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.

For the custard:

Into a medium sized heat safe bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in color. Whisk in the cornstarch and vanilla paste.

Put the milk into a small saucepan. Heat the milk to a slow boil, then remove from heat.

While whisking vigorously drizzle the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, just a tiny bit at a time at first. Once you’ve added about ¼ of the milk, you can add the rest in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly.

Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and reheat it over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar or press some plastic wrap against the custard so it won’t form a pudding skin. Chill the custard completely in the refrigerator.

When the custard is cold, whip the heavy whipping cream until you reach soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream in the custard a little at a time until you get the desired taste and texture.

Assembly of the tart:

Spoon custard into the cooled crust and spread into an even layer. Arrange strawberries over filling in a decorative pattern. Place honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush glaze over strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Enjoy!