Emily Laurae

Tart Dough
1 In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, start by mixing sugar, butter, vanilla paste, salt, almond and all-purpose flour mixing until combined. Take a moment to scrape the mixing bowl
2 Add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing between additions
3 Add the second addition of all purpose flour, making sure to not overmix.
4 Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap – then place in the fridge to chill before using for at least one hour.
5 I tend to make my tart dough ahead of time so I throw it in the fridge until the next day. If using this method, remove your dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to roll it out – you’ll find that it will be MUCH easier to work with!
6 Once your dough is rolled to the desired thickness, press gently into the bottom of your buttered 9 inch tart pan, poking the bottom of the tart LIBERALLY with a fork, and place in the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes. This is essential – your tart shells are less likely to shrink while baking if you take the time to freeze your shells.
7 Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8 Line the shell with parchment paper and baking rice/beans/pie weights to further prevent the dough from puffing up.
9 Bake for 20 minutes before removing from the oven and removing the parchment paper and pie weights then bake for another 10-15 minutes until ever so slightly browned. 
Vanilla Pastry Cream 
11 In a heavy saucepan, add your scraped vanilla bean and milk together and bring to a simmer.
12 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and pinch of salt together in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture lightens in color and becomes a pale yellow.
13 Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in the hot milk to the egg mixture together until homogenous. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat.
14 When the pastry cream comes to a boil, continue to whisk constantly and boil for up to 2 minutes. The pastry cream should reach 200F. Remove from the heat and strain into a clean bowl. Stir in the butter and mix until the butter is melted and mixed into the cream.
20 Cover with plastic film placed directly in contact with the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming and place in the fridge to cool. Before using, whip the pastry cream until smooth!
Assembly
19 Spread the pastry cream into the tart shell and top with your sliced strawberries. Glaze with the apricot jam or the fruit jam of your choice before serving and enjoying!