Strawberry Vanilla Pastry ("Aardbeienslof")

Pastry:

• 180g unsalted butter
• 100g white caster sugar
• 50g light brown caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• Zest of half a lemon
• 280g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Frangipane filling:

• 50g almond meal
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g sugar
• 1 small egg

Pastry cream:

• 500ml full-fat milk
• Vanilla (pod or paste)
• 4 egg yolks
• 30g cornstarch
• 50g sugar

Whipped cream:

• 250ml heavy cream
• 4tbsp powdered sugar
• 1tsp vanilla 

Topping:

• 250gr fresh strawberries
• White chocolate shards & mint leaves (optional)

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Pastry:

1. Cream your butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest until well combined.
2. Add your flour and baking powder, and knead until a ball forms. Let this dough rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the almond filling except the egg. Mix until smooth and no butter clumps are visible. Then, add the egg and mix until well combined. Store in a piping bag in the refrigerator.
4. Roll out your dough to a thickness of about 2cm and cut out the shape of your pastry. Place the dough in a baking paper-lined mould. If the dough breaks, piece it together in the mould and press the pieces together to adhere.
5. Pipe the almond filling into the centre, leaving 1-2cm around the edges for the dough to rise in the oven.
6. Bake your pastry base at 180°C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Baking time may vary depending on the size of your mould and the quality of your oven. For this recipe, we used a 31cm mould.

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Pastry cream:

1. Heat your milk over medium-high heat and bring it slowly to temperature, just before boiling. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture becomes light yellow.
2. Remove your milk from the heat and slowly pour it in parts into your egg yolk mixture, making sure to stir continuously to avoid any egg lumps.
3. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place it back on the heat. Slowly bring it to the boiling point while continuing to stir.
4. Your custard is ready when it reaches the desired thickness.
5. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl, cover it well with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator. Make sure to whisk the cooled pastry cream thoroughly with a whisk before use to remove any lumps. Your pastry cream is now ready to use.

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Whipped cream:

1. Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form and the cream holds its shape

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Assembly:

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1. Top your cooled pastry with your pastry cream & fresh strawberries. Pipe on your whipped cream and decorate with white chocolate shards and small mint leaves
2. Enjoy loves!

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