KATKAT'S KITCHEN
RECIPES FROM KATKAT'S KITCHEN
Spinach and lentil Soup
One would think in May that the time for thick winter soups is over, but sadly in London that is not so, it is still winter weather, wet and cold, but it is time to enjoy the last of the thick soups for another year.
Make: Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
With shredded chicken, tons of spinach, low-fat cheeses and punchy (homespun!) spices, you can make a healthy, lower-sodium and super satisfying enchilada dish. A quick word on tortillas: Whole wheat is better for you, this we know.
blogs.phillymag.com
Spinach dish a fave
By Jeanne Jones Dear Jeanne: This is one of the few green vegetable dishes that my family will eat. I realize it’s full of fat, and I would like to reduce it yet keep it edible. Thank you. Dear Katherine: This really has a lot of great nutritional …
www.mysanantonio.com
Spinach and lentil Soup the Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 1/2 cup red lentils
1 litre vegetable stock
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 handful of fresh mint and coriander
1 kilo of fresh spinach cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
Saute onions, garlic and spices in the olive oil until the onions are soft. Stir in the beans, lentils, lemon juice, mint and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils are tender. Stir occasionally. Stir in spinach and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Ready to serve.
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry shortcake is an American dessert which bears no resemblance to the crisp Scottish Shortbread. It is more like a very buttery sponge, with scone properties, which soaks up the juice from the strawberries perfectly.
These strawberry shortcakes get their light, tender texture from buttermilk and baking powder, and their rich flavor from an egg, cream, and lots of butter. This simple dessert is best made at the height of strawberry season, using the juiciest, sweetest strawberries you can find. However if you are short of time use a pre made all butter puff pastry, to make your strawberry shortcake.
Like any classic dessert every family has its favourite recipe and way to prepare the strawberry shortcake. Some people make them individually like little scones, whilst others make a large one and cut into it. I use a little twist an Italian lady taught me thirty years ago and that is the fact that the only thing brings out the flavour of strawberries is freshly ground black pepper, I also like the idea of a little balsamic vinegar to offset the sweetness.
<h2>Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake</h2>
For the strawberries
1/2 kilo ripe strawberries, hulled
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Shortcakes
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream; more for brushing
1/4 cup buttermilk
For the whipped cream
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Prepare the strawberries
Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher, crush them into a chunky purée. Slice the remaining berries 1/4 inch thick and stir them into the mashed berries along with the sugar and black pepper. Let the berries sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to absorb the flavours.
Make the biscuits
Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment.
Sift the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
In a small bowl, beat the egg and heavy cream with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cream mixture. Mix with the fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just comes together; it will still look a little shaggy. Gather the dough and gently knead it three or four times. If the dough seems dry and doesn’t form a cohesive mass, work in more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 3/4 -inch-thick disk. With a sharp 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down to cut the dough into rounds and lift straight up to remove (don’t twist the cutter or it will seal the sides of the biscuits and interfere with rising). Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps, gently knead them together, re-roll, and cut out more biscuits until you have a total of 6.
Lightly brush the biscuit tops with cream and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake, rotating the baking sheet once, until the biscuit tops are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly while you whip the cream.
Whip the cream
In a large, chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks with an electric hand mixer. (Use immediately or refrigerate, covered until ready to serve).
<h3>How to Assemble the Strawberry Shorytcakes
Using a serrated knife, split the warm biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 6 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms.
Individual corn muffins
Individual corn muffins, are an easy way to make cornbread. If you have ever made cornbread you will appreciate that the size of the tin is important as it is when you make brownies, if you do not get the size of the tin correct, then it tends to cook unevenly. I decided to experiment and make them individually and I have to say they turned out perfectly and I loved the look of the individual corn muffins. These corn muffins were moist and packed full of flavour and there was no loss of texture.
The recipe below was adapted from a recipe in which they were made into individual little loaves for thanksgiving, but to me that seemed too much like hard work but if you want to serve individual cornbread loaves then use extra butter to grease the loaf tins even if they are non stick. I will definitely try that when I have guests but it was too much faffing around for a weeknight dinner.
Individual corn muffins
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups sifted flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
4 ounces butter, melted,
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 large beaten eggs,
6 ounces warm corn kernels
4 ounces mature cheddar cheese, grated
2 chopped spring onions or scallions
Minced fresh chile to taste
1 large handful of chopped cilantro or coriander
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Method for individual corn muffins
In a bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, milk, and beaten eggs. Add the dry ingredients, and just combine. Then fold in the corn kernels, cheddar cheese, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro. Pour the mixture into buttered loaf pans 1½ by 1½ by 3 inches, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. or alternatively pour into nuffin cases and bake for fifteen minutes.
How to serve individual corn muffins
Traditionally cornbread is served at a thanksgiving dinner, but it is great with spicy casseroles and mexican food. Whenever you have buttermilk over individual corn muffins are a great way to use it up. Individual corn muffins are a perfect accompaniment for a spicy soup, I actually love them with goulash.
Spring Vegetable Risotto
Spring Vegetable Risotto is my idea of a perfect spring recipe, fresh light and easy to prepare. I love purple sprouting broccoli, the taste is fantastic and the colour marvelous. As soon as the first shoots start appearing in the garden I am dreaming up new recipes to use it. It has to be savoured when it is available because it has a really short season.
This original Ina Garten recipe Spring Green Risotto is a celebration of spring green flavors with the zap of abundant lemon. Ina’s addition of mascarpone in the end is la piece de resistance! (It didn’t get a five-star reader review for nothing.)
The original version of Ina Garten’s Recipe may be found in her Barefoot Contessa “Back to Basics” cookbook.
Spring Vegetable Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped fresh fennel bulb
2 handfuls of purple sprouting broccoli
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 pound thin asparagus, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces, ends discarded
10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed.
Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes. Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water for one minute until they just bend slightly with the purple sprouting broccoli . Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)
When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and purple sprouting broccoli and add it to the risotto with the peas and lemon zest. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.
Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot with a garnished with chives and additional Parmesan.
Chef’s Tips on Spring Vegetable Risotto
Stirring is essential, the more you stir the creamier the risotto! Keep stock simmering in a separate pan so itdoesn’t reduce the temperature and stop the rice cooking, add a little at a time; if you run out just add a little boiling water. You don’t need lots of butter, by adding a little at the last minute and stirring vigorously, you get a creamy risotto.Spring Vegetable Risotto can be made with any vegetables to hand. such as wild mushrooms pumpkin etc.Spring Vegetable Risotto is dofferetn every time you make it, it can also be made with different types of rice, I like to use a mixture of wild rice and brown rice for my Spring Vegetable Risotto.
Beef Caeser Salad
Caesar Salad is one of the classic salads, associated with New York.
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A Caesar salad is a green salad usually of romaine lettuce, with croutons, shavings of parmesan, and a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, egg, worcestershire sauce and garlic. it is often served with chicken or prawns, but here in my salad it is served with rare roast beef, making it a beef caeser salad.
Ingredients for Beef Caeser Salad
1 French stick
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking
4 slices of Serrano ham
400 g runner beans, trimmed, stringed and sliced
250 g piece of rump steak
1x 240 g bag baby spinach
Several shavings of Parmesan cheese
For the dressing
4 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons light mayo
½ tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of half a lemon
5 tablespoons of extra virgen olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
Method: How to make beef caesar salad
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan), 200°C, gas mark 6. Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and toss in the oil with your hands. Bung in the oven for 10 minutes till crisp and golden. At the same time, lay the ham flat on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Leave both to cool and crisp up.
For the dressing, squash the anchovies with the back of a knife, then finely chop and whisk with 1 tablespoon of water and the rest of the dressing ingredients
Throw the beans into a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes then refresh under cold running water anddrain.
Heat a splash of oil in a hot frying pan, pop the fillet in and fry for 4 minutes on each side. If it’s a little pink for you just finish it in the oven for another few minutes. Rest the fillet for 5 minutes, then slice.
To assemble the salad, toss the spinach and beans in 3–4 tablespoons of the dressing, then toss in the croûtons. Crumble over the crispy ham, scatter over the beef slices and, using a vegetable peeler, shave over some Parmesan. Season and serve with the extra dressing on the side.
Croque Madame Muffin – Rachel Khoo
Essentially a Croque Madame, is a posh French cheese and ham toastie. This Croque Madame Muffin is an even posher brunch dish perfect for weekend entertaining. I got the idea of a Croque Madame Muffin from Rachel Khoo. The only thing that I would be tempted to change when I make it next time is to use seeded brown bread rather than white. To make the perfect Croque Madame Muffin use the best quality ham you can afford.
Home and Garden Menu
The Croque Madame puts an egg (farm fresh and fried or poached, please) on the classic grilled ham and cheese. April may be the cruelest month, in TS Eliot’s view, but it’s also National Grilled Cheese Month – and if that doesn’t perk up your spirits, …
www.portlandmonthlymag.com
Ingredients for a Croque Madame Muffin
2 slices of brown seeded bread for Croque Madame Muffin
1 slice of ham for each Croque Madame Muffin
1 egg for each Croque Madame Muffin
melted butter
Béchamel sauce
Ingredients
600ml/1½ pints milk
1 onion
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
6 black peppercorns
55g/2oz butter
55g/2oz plain flour
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
freshly grated nutmeg
To Make the Croque Madame Muffin Cups
Cut the crusts of the bread and using a rolling pin slightly flatten each one, this will make the finished Croque Madame Muffin crispy. As far as I am concerned no crunch no croque! Shape the bread into a muffin tin and put a slice of ham inside. The trick is to use a very small egg because a regular size egg will make it overflow, so take a little egg white out of the shell, by cracking the egg towards the thinner end, tip the egg white into a bowl. If you need any ideas what to do with egg whites look here at my meringue page . Make a thick Béchamel sauce. Béchamel sauce is not difficult, the trick is not to get too thick a roux to start with, so don’t putting too much flour and then pour the milk very slowly you can control the thickness later when the flour is cooking out.
To make the Béchamel sauce
Bring the milk just to the boil with the onion pierced with the bay leaf and cloves, and the peppercorns.
Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes before straining. Then melt the butter stir in the flour, and cook over a gentle heat for five minutes, stirring constantly. When smooth, start adding some of the strained milk. Stir until smooth, and then add more milk until the sauce is thickened.
Cook for 10-15 minutes to ensure the flour is cooked through.Sprinkle with grated nutmeg, and our over the croque Madame muffins, and then top with mature cheddar grated. Finish the muffins by painting more melted butter on the edges, and the pop in the oven at 180 degrees for fifteen minutes.
Cranberry Lemon Muffins
Lemon Cranberry Muffins are a match made in heaven, if you read my blog often then you know that the one thing I miss from home is the ability to go into my back yard and pick a lemon off the tree. When I zest a lemon it reminds me of home and the gragrance of citrus lingers on in the kitchen for hours.
Cranberry Lemon Muffins
½ cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
pinch salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup oil
2 cups fresh cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix the yogurt, sugar, salt and eggs together in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir together until moistened. Add oil and mix, mix, mix until batter is smooth and homogeneous. Fold in cranberries. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.
Lemon Simple Syrup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
In a small saucepan, heat the lemon juice and sugar together gently until all the sugar dissolves. Brush over muffins.
Boyne City woman’s life changed — one cookie at a time
Crazy Woman Cookies features a variety of 10 to 12 flavors depending on the season, including lemon cranberry, a chocolate chunk and a white chocolate cherry. King added that one of the most popular is the “So You’re Wild About Oats” cookie that …
www.petoskeynews.com
Healthy Spelt Flour Courgette Bread
Funny really when I am at home in Spain I get sick to the back teeth of courgettes because they are the one vegetable that are in season all year. I think “oh no not again!”, yet in London where the courgettes are not available all year, the first sight of a bright yellow courgette flower fills me with joy.
Spicy Courgette Bread
is normally made with oil and self raiusing flour, but it is rather bland I wanted to experiment with a recipe for courgette bread that contained less fat and used spelt flour to give it a nuttlier taste, because again the flavour of walnuts can overpower the delicate taste of courgettes.
ZUCCHINI BREAD « Carolina HeartStrings
I love this recipe. This was one of my cousin Laura’s. She loved to bake when we were teenagers and bread was one of her favorite things to make. I had completely forgotten about this wonderful recipe until I was searching …
http://www.carolinaheartstrings.com/
Healthy Spelt Flour Courgette Bread
Ingredients
3 cups spelt flour
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 cup applesauce
3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly coat two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, applesauce vanilla, and eggs.
Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and stir to combine well. Stir in grated zucchini.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly, do not fill the pan more than three quarters full as it expands in the oven. . Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack, then reinvert, top side up. Cool completely before slicing.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake With Salted Caramel
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake With Salted Caramel
was my choice for my workshop weekends recently, I always make my students something sticky to keep their energy up.I have been obsessed with sticky toffee pudding since my post a few weeks ago. Everything has to be sticky sticky rice, sticky toffee, and now sticky toffee cupcakes. The beauty of this recipe is the fact that you can make your own caramel or buy it ready made. The sticky toffee pudding cupcakes are rich and unctious.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake « Cupcakes and Candles
Toffee has always been one of my very favorite candies, so when I came across this recipe for a brown sugar flavored spongecake topped with a sticky glaze and finished with toffee flavored cream cheese frosting from The …
http://cupcakesandcandles.wordpress.com/
Ingredients for Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake With Salted Caramel
180 g dates, pitted and chopped
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
180 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
80 g unsalted butter
150 g muscovado sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
For the caramel sauce
125 g caster sugar
80 ml double cream
1/2 teaspoon rock salt
seeds from a vanilla pod
For the buttercream
1/2 teaspoon rock salt
160 g butter
200 g vanilla icing sugar
For the buttercream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
160 g butter
200 g icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan170ºC/gas 4.
Method for Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake With Salted Caramel
In a heatproof bowl, pour 180ml boiling water over the dates and leave to soften for 20 minutes. with a fork, gently break up the dates and stir in the vanilla seeds. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar for a good 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, beating between each addition, adding a little flour in between each addition if it looks as though it will curdle. Lastly, fold in the remaining flour and then the date mixture.
Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for 15–20 minutes (the tops should spring back when pressed with a finger). Remove and leave to cool.
For the caramel
Dissolve the sugar and 60ml water in a havy based pan over a gentle heat, then increase the heat to a boil. Wait a few minutes, leaving the pan undisturbed but watching it like a hawk and, as soon as it changes to a wonderful caramel colour and is thicker, remove immediately from the heat, stand well back, and add the cream. This process must be done carefully because of the high temperature of the sugar it WILL spit. In fact you may think you have destroyed the sauce because it may become too thick to work, but just keep stirring. When all the cream is added add the vanilla and salt. If using shop bopught caramel sauce, add the salt and vanilla.
For the buttercream
Cream the butter and icing sugar for at least 5 minutes with an electric mixer and pipe it over the sticky toffee pudding cupcakes. When the caramel is cold drizzle a generous amount on each cupcake.
Strawberry Custard Tart
Strawberry custard tart is one of the quintessentially British dessert creations. When i first went to live in Malaga in the 1980′s I encountered a peach and custard flan. It was made from natillas a type of Spanish custard on a tart base, and it then had sliced pieces of peaches on the top and covered in a peach jelly.
I promised my self that one day I would make a strawberry and custard tart, but it took me several years in fact, thirty years to get around to it. So I was in a quandry whether or not to make one with just the custard or to use the strawberry Jelly.
An egg custard tart in an old classic British dessert and as the pastry is served cold there si no room for error, shortcrust pastry hot is quite forgiving but now when it is served cold.
Strawberry Custard Tart – Jo Cooks
I bought these gorgeous strawberries and I decided to make something to use some of them up. I’ve been in the mood to make tarts lately so strawberry tart it is with a delicious custard. Don’t be afraid to make custard, there’s …
http://www.jocooks.com/
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The jelly won because although I like the idea of just a strawberry and custard tart, in terms of taste, visually the one with jelly looks far more appealing. However I made my jelly using a cranberry jelly and painting it on the strawberry custard tart .
I can see no reason why this has to be made with shortcust pastry, phyllo pastry would also be an excellent substitute and next time I make them I will do individual strawberry and custard tarts in a phyllo case in muffin tins.
Ingredients for Strawberry Custard Tart
Ingredients
For the sweet Pastry
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g icing sugar, sifted
250g good-quality cold butter, cut into small cubes
zest of 1 orange
2 large free-range egg yolks
a splash of iced water
Custard cream:
1 1/4 cup (1/2 pint) 300 ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 level tbsp (15 ml) caster sugar (superfine granulated)
1 vanilla pod, split
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 level tbsp (15 ml) caster sugar (superfine granulated)
For the decoration:
2 punnets fresh strawberries
2 generous tbsp cranberry jelly
2 tablespoons water
Method for Strawberry Custard Tart
To Make the Sweet Pastry.
There’s a bit of a knack to getting perfectly crisp shortcrust pastry. Egg yolk plus water make a butter rich dough which is easier to roll and its is crisper than if you use whole eggs.
Sieve the flour from a height on to a clean work surface and sieve the icing sugar over the top. Using your hands, work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture. Add the egg yolks and water to the mixture and gently work it together till you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don’t work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in clingfilm and put it into the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.When it is chilled roll it out and chill again which reduces shrinkage when cooking.
Press a sheet of nonstick paper weighed down with baking beans against the base and side, bake at 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3 for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and bake for 10 minutes more. Bring it out of the oven and cool completely.
To make a strawberry custard tart successfully the pastry needs a hot oven to be flaky, but the custard needs a much cooler oven or it will set hard like scrambled eggs so it isnecessary to blind bake the pastry first.
TO MAKE THE CUSTARD
Pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan, add the vanilla pod and heat slowly until almost boiling. Take off the heat, then leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until thick and creamy. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then strain back into the pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly for 10-20 minutes until the custard thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Do not allow it to boil or the custard may curdle. When it is cooked pour into a bowl and wet some clingfilm and put the wet side of clingfilm over the top of the custard, which stops a skin forming as it cools. When it is completely cold pour into the pastry case.
Decorate with the strawberries. Boil the cranberry jelly and water and then paint it on the tart with a pastry brush. Leave the tart to cool completely but serve at room temperature.
Variations on Strawberry custard tart
Add different interesting flavours to the pastry, so use lemon zest, or orange zest, cocoa powder, cinnamon or vanilla seeds. Whatever flavouring you use be subtle not heavy-handed. Use a different combination of fruits, apricots and nectarine mixed. raspberry and dark chocolate. Use a chocolate custard as well. Strawberry custard tart can be made to suit the seasons, try pear and chocolate as in this combination
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