Glazed Fresh Strawberry Tart with Champagne Sabayon

[kirra]

Glazed Fresh Strawberry Tart with Champagne Sabayon
Unforgettable Desserts

The concentrated glaze gives this tart an impossibly glossy red color that looks artificial, but couldn’t be more fresh and natural. A sprinkling of green pistachios on top is optional, but the contrast makes the red pop even more. Presented on a plate with a generous dollop of a creamy, fluffy Champagne sabayon, this dessert combines crispy, juicy, and creamy textures, while keeping the freshness of the strawberries in the fore¬front. Choose either small or medium strawberries; it is important that they are all the same size for the elegance of the visual presentation.

Ingredients:

1 Sugar Tart Crust (see below), baked and cooled

Strawberry Filling:

2 quarts small to medium fresh strawberries, stemmed
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons unsalted green pistachios, lightly toasted and chopped, optional

Sabayon:

4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup Champagne or dry sparkling white wine
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream

Preparation:

Filling:
Fill the crust with berries, all perched upright, nestled closely together and filling the entire crust.

Chop the remaining berries and put in a medium saucepan; stir in the sugar and lemon juice and allow to sit for about 5 minutes, or until the juices begin to exude. Mash the berries with a potato masher and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring the mixture occasionally as it cooks. Cook until the juices begin to thicken and deepen in color, 3 to 5 minutes.

Immediately scrape into a strainer set over a clean bowl (or large measuring cup if you have it). Press as much liquid as possible through the strainer; discard the solids. Measure the liquid out to 1 cup, adding water if necessary, and pour into a small clean saucepan.

Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, and then stir into the juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking frequently, or until the juice thickens and becomes shiny.

Immediately glaze the berries, using both a teaspoon and a pastry brush to fill gaps between the berries and cover the tops and sides of the fruit. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired, while the glaze is still moist. Refrigerate the tart while you prepare the sabayon, or for up to 6 hours.

Sabayon:
Whisk the egg yolks and Champagne together in the top of a double boiler (or deep bowl for a makeshift double boiler). Whisk in the sugar. Set over boiling water that just touches the bottom of the bowl and whisk constantly until very thick and almost tripled in volume. The mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the whisk; this will take 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and immediately set over a bowl of ice water. Whisk the mixture until it is completely cool. Whip the cream in a separate, clean bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into the egg mixture.

The sabayon may be used immediately, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. If it separates at all, simply whisk before using. You might lose a little volume, but it will be fine to use. Serve wedges of the tart with a generous dollop of sabayon partially on top, partially to the side. Serves 8 to 10

Notes:
Look for individual soda bottle–size Champagne bottles at the liquor store. Or, buy a regular-size bottle, use the small amount needed for the sabayon, then serve the rest with the tart.

For the sabayon, make sure to whisk the yolks and Champagne together before adding the sugar. If you combine the yolks and sugar first, and pause even for a minute before adding the liquid, this amount of sugar might very well toughen the yolks, and you will be left with little hard bits of raw yolk and the sabayon will not come together properly.

Sugar Tart Crust

This is my favorite sweet tart dough due to its crispness, sweetness, and ease of preparation. The key is the cake flour, which because of its low protein content makes the dough particularly crisp and prevents it from shrinking. You do not even need to line it while blind-baking; just make sure to chill it well.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

Preparation:

Coat a 10-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the flat paddle attachment on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar gradually and continue to beat on medium-high speed until lightened and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk until well combined. Add the flour and pulse the mixer on and off until it begins to combine, and then run the mixer on medium-low speed just until the dough begins to form. Scrape out onto plastic wrap and use the wrap to help press the dough into a flat disk shape. Wrap the dough thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round and fit into the pan, pressing into corners and trimming the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. At this point, you can double-wrap the tart shell very well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking, or freeze for up to 1 week.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. For a partially baked tart shell, bake directly on the oven rack for 8 to 12 minutes, or until dry to the touch and beginning to color around the edges. For a fully baked tart shell, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, just until it is very light golden brown. If crust puffs up during baking, gently press back down with the back of a fork. Cool the tart pan set on a rack. Fill and proceed as directed in recipes. Makes one 10-inch tart crust

Note: If you are in a hurry, you can pat the freshly made dough right into the prepared pan using floured fingers before the first chilling period. The final look will not be as refined, but it will still taste great. Chill and proceed as described. Baking directly on the oven rack ensures a crisper bottom crust.