The facts were these…

So I missed posting last week but it actually lands perfectly for Mother’s Day. So it’s S1:E5 of Pushing Daisies and we see the extent of Ned’s magical powers of bringing dead things back to life in the form of pie.

Narrator: The Pie Maker stared at the ripe strawberry that had turned rotten at the touch of his tongue. It could only mean one thing: he had touched it before. [MONTAGE: Ned in his kitchen touching a mouldy strawberry which promptly turns ripe again]

This was one of my favourite pies so far as the finished product looked so good, despite the fact it’s technically a tart not a pie but I said I was going to be flexible! I based this pie on a classic French fruit tart with creme patisserie. It was absolutely delicious although it hasn’t got a very long shelf life because of the cut strawberries so I’d recommend eating it the day you put the strawberries on.

Strawberry Pie

Serves 8-10                 Takes 1hr plus chilling

Ingredients

350g Ready made shortcrust pastry

350ml Whole milk

4 Large egg yolks

1 Vanilla pod

100g Caster sugar

25g Cornflour

Zest of 1 lemon

500g Strawberries

4tbsp Strawberry jam

Method

1. If necessary, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Place into a tart tin and press down to ensure it is tight to the edges and grooves. Trim the excess pastry and prick the base with a fork. Pop in the fridge to chill for 30mins.
2. While the pastry is chilling, make the creme patisserie by putting the milk and vanilla pod in a large pan. Bring to the boil before immediately turning off the heat and setting aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for around ten minutes (It’s best to use an electric whisk if possible to save tired arms.) Once voluminous, fold in the cornflour and zest until thoroughly combined. Strain the warm milk mixture and slowly add to the eggs, making sure to whisk continuously to avoid splitting. Pour the mixture back into a clean pan and stir on the heat until it has a thick custard consistency. Take off the heat, place in a bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm to stop a skin forming. You can make the creme patisserie in advance and store it like this in the fridge.
3. Preheat the oven to 180/160 fan/ Gas Mark 4. Line the chilled pastry base with baking paper and baking beans (if you don’t have baking beans you can use dried lentils/beans/rice or anything that can weigh down the pastry.) Place on a baking tray and blind bake for 15mins. After the first bake, remove the paper and beans then place bake in the oven for a further 10-15mins until golden. If it looks like the edges are catching you can cover it with foil.
4. Once the pastry case is cooled, spoon on the creme patisserie and spread evenly on the base. Hull and half the strawberries then arrange on top of the tart, starting with one in the centre and working your way outwards.
5. To glaze, add a small amount of boiled water to the strawberry jam and brush on top of the fruit. I’d recommend filling and decorating the tart the day you plan to serve it to ensure it’s as fresh as possible.

I hope this makes it to some of your Mother’s Day tables this year!

lots of love,

Alice x