Berry Cream Tart or Berry Cream Pie
For Crust, either shortbread (pictured) or pie crust
This no-fail pie crust recipe has been a standard in our family for years.
2 C. all purpose flour or 1 1/3 C. all purpose flour and 2/3 C. cake flour
1 C. butter, or lard
1/2 C. ice water
1 T. Apple cider vinegar (optional)
1 tsp. salt
Measure 2 C. flour and sift into bowl. Remove 1/3 C. flour and mix with ice water (and vinegar if using) set aside (preferably someplace cold like the refrigerator) Add salt and butter or shortening to the flour. Use a knife and fork or pastry blender to mix flour and butter til mixture resembles coarse crumbs:
Add cold water/flour mixture and blend til dough just holds together. Turn out onto floured surface and roll into shape. Make enough for 3 small or 2 generous crusts.
The key to flaky pastry is the little pieces of butter or shortening that are not completely incorporated into the flour and water. That is why it is important to have cold ingredients, cold surfaces and maybe even cold hands if possible to prevent the over-mixing and melting of butter that will make pastry tougher. Mixing pie crust by machine (stand mixer) is possible, but not recommended because it is so easy to overmix. Vinegar is an ingredient that is sometimes added to pie crust because the acid will weaken the structure of the gluten and make the crust easier to roll out. It should also make the crust more tender. You cannot taste the vinegar in baked dough. Bread flour has a high gluten content and will make the crust tough. Cake flour has a gluten content that is too low and crust will be too airy. All purpose flour usually works fine, but probably the best flour for pastry
is the mixture of all purpose and cake flour above. This applies to all purpose flour in the United States, not other countries. Outside the U.S. the characteristics of the local flour may be different. In mainland China for example, the flour already has a lower gluten content similar to the mixture of cake and pastry flour above.
Cream filling; Alternate Pastry Cream (eclairs etc)
1/2 C. sugar same
3 T. cornstarch same
3 T. flour omit flour
1/4 tsp. salt same
2 C. milk 2 C. half and half
1 beaten egg 2 eggs
1/2 C. sour cream or cream cheese omit sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla or vanilla bean
1 T. butter (optional) same Pastry Cream will be a little sweeter
Mix sugar with cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually add milk and cook over med heat stirring constantly. When hot, add a little hot mixture to beaten egg, then add egg to mixture and stir constantly. Remove from heat when mixture comes to a boil. Add vanilla, butter and sour cream after mixture has cooled.
This filling is a good texture for cream pies and the sour cream makes the filling unique. Omit sour cream, omit flour, add an additional egg and use half and half instead of milk for the traditional filling for Napoleons, eclairs and fruit tarts that is not quite as thick. To make a whipped cream "frosting" or cake filling, add whipped cream and a little unflavored gelatin. For a very rich version, use four egg yolks and heavy cream.
Stirring constantly is important to prevent scorching, but another method that prevents scorching and is less labor intensive is to use double boiling. In the absence of pans designed for double boiling, use a non-reactive (not aluminum) mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl full of ingredients into a pan of boiling water. It will take a little longer to cook, but you can do other things in the kitchen while it is cooking rather than just standing and stirring.
After filling tart or pie shell with cream filling, cover with berries and glaze.
Berry glaze for Cream Pie or Tart
cornstarch
berry juice
freezer jam
cook together til thickened and use as a glaze
or just strain and reduce freezer jam or other preserves to thicken and make a glaze for berries
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