Berry-berry refreshing

Pushpesh Pant

There is something magical about strawberries and cream, traditional fare at the Wimbledon. It is a magical duet that we can never have enough of. Well, the fruit is expensive and the cream sinfully seductive, but a small quantity of berries goes a long way. And why blame the cream when there are so many artificial additives detrimental to our health that we consume without blinking an eyelid? Goodness of nature, full of colour and refreshing tang! Help yourself as soon as you spot the seasonal delight packed in dainty transparent boxes on the shelves.

Recipe: Strawberry Tart

Ingredients

Pie crust

Flour 1 cup

Sugar ¾ cup

Butter ½ cup (cold and chopped in cubes; put in freezer to chill)

Salt to taste

Whipped cream filling

Ingredients

Whipped cream 350-450 ml

Strawberries (thinly sliced and chilled)

Caster/powdered sugar

Strawberry syrup 3-4 tbsp (optional)

Method:

Pre heat the oven or OTG to 220 degrees Celsius. Blend the flour, sugar and salt to a coarse powder like consistency. Gradually add cubes of butter. Mix well. Be careful to not blend the mixture too much to form a dough. Knead only till it takes the shape of small grains resembling crumbs.

(Alternatively press the crumbs with hands and shape into a disc with a rolling pin. It should be larger in diameter than the tin to hang out loosely over the edges)

Place the crust mixture it in the tin pressing firmly adding gradually beginning from the periphery to form a base about 1 centimetre thick.

After you finish ‘moulding’ the crust into the tin, it has to be chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes. Before transferring the tin into the freezer, take a fork and pierce holes all over the crust. You have to do this because while baking the crust, if the holes aren’t made, the crust will rise and look deformed.

Carefully put the chilled crust it into the preheated oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes or till golden brown. Don’t overbake as this will result in the crust being hard while eating. Allow to cool.

Place the whipped cream and sugar in a bowl. Whisk with a fork or with a beater till the cream forms ‘peaks’. Then, using a piping bag, fill the crust with cream. Top it generously with thinly sliced strawberries starting from the centre in a spiral design and enjoy!