Vanilla Pastry Cream<br />
2 cups whole milk<br />
6 large egg yolks<br />
½ cup sugar<br />
? cup cornstarch, sifted<br />
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature<br />
<br />
Chocolate Shortbread Tart Dough<br />
1¼ cups all-purpose flour<br />
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
¼ cup powdered sugar<br />
¼ teaspoon salt<br />
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) very cold butter, cut into small pieces<br />
1 large egg yolk, stirred slightly<br />
<br />
Chocolate Ganache<br />
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely<br />
¼ cup heavy cream<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
1 tablespoon water<br />
about 1 lb fresh strawberries, stemmed
Make the vanilla pastry cream:<br />
Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly whisk about ¼ cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Slowly pour in the remaining milk, whisking constantly and vigorously. Bring the mixture to a boil, still whisking, for 2 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then start whisking in the butter, whisking in until they are fully incorporated and the cream is smooth is silky.<br />
Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, placing the wrap right on the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until fully chilled.<br />
Make the tart dough:<br />
Butter a 9-inch tart pan.<br />
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse just until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You will have pieces about the size of peas.) Add in the yolk and pulse just to combine, then process in long, 10 second pulses. The dough will start to form clumps.<br />
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and lightly knead the dough, just to incorporate any dry ingredients. Press the dough into the prepared tart pan, then freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.<br />
When you are ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 375ºF/190C. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminium foil and place buttered side down on the surface of the pastry, fitting the foil tightly against the pastry. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, use the back of a spoon to press it down. Let the crust cool completely.<br />
Make the Ganache:<br />
Place the into a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan (or microwave safe bowl) combine the cream, sugar and water and bring to a full boil. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. With a whisk or rubber spatula, stir the mixture in small circles until it is completely combined and smooth.<br />
Assemble the tart:<br />
Spread the vanilla pastry cream in the crust. Arrange the strawberries on top of the pastry cream. (You can slice the strawberries, or if they are smaller, you can leave them whole like I did.) Drizzle the chocolate Ganache on top of the tart. Refrigerate any leftovers.<br />
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a full boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Working with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the centre of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles.