We slightly dried the small strawberries in this recipe so that their excess juice would not affect the crème caramel. We recommend using wild strawberries, as they do not need to be dried before using here. Both the crème caramel and the crust may be made ahead, but, to ensure a crisp crust and shiny caramel, do not invert the crème caramel onto the crust until shortly before serving.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 1 Tart
Ingredients
For crème caramel
For pastry crust
Preparation
Make crème caramel:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 225° F.
Step 2
Spread strawberries on a baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes to dry slightly. Transfer baking sheet to a rack to cool strawberries.
Step 3
Increase temperature to 350° F.
Step 4
In a dry heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Immediately pour caramel into a 9-inch glass pie plate, tilting plate to coat bottom and sides evenly. Put pie plate in a baking pan.
Step 5
In a saucepan heat cream just to a boil and remove pan from heat. In a bowl whisk together egg, yolks, vanilla, and a pinch salt until combined well and in a stream add warm cream, whisking. Skim off any froth and carefully pour custard into pie plate. Arrange strawberries decoratively on their sides in custard (custard should completely cover strawberries) and add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up side of plate. Bake crème caramel in middle of oven about 40 minutes, or until custard is just set but still trembles slightly (custard will continue to set as it cools). Remove plate from pan and cool custard completely on a rack. Chill crème caramel, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Make crust:
Step 6
In a large bowl with fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water and toss mixture with a fork until incorporated. Add some or all of remaining ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork to incorporate until mixture just begins to form a dough. On a work surface with heel of hand smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions to help distribute butter. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour.
Step 7
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Step 8
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 10-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and transfer to a baking sheet. Using a 9-inch plate as a guide, trim dough to a 9-inch round. Prick round all over with a fork and chill 30 minutes. Bake round in middle of oven until golden, about 30 minutes, and cool completely on baking sheet on a rack. Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered with foil, at room temperature.
Just before serving, assemble tart:
Step 9
Have ready a flat serving plate at least 10 inches in diameter with a slight lip. Run a thin knife around edge of crème caramel and rotate pie plate back and forth to make sure crème caramel is loosened. Slide crust on top of crème caramel and invert serving plate on top of crust. Invert tart onto serving plate (caramel will run to edges of plate) and garnish with strawberries.
