There’s nothing better in early summer than a dessert made with perfectly ripe in- season strawberries. This is one of my favourites- very simple, but very good.
makes six 3-inch tartlets ( or one 9-inch pie )
Crust:
1/2 cup ( 1 stick ) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
Filling:
5 cups fresh strawberries, sliced in quarters
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the crust:
In a medium-size bowl, combine the butter with the vanilla wafer crumbs. Press firmly into buttered tart pans or pie dish. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
To make the filling:
Mash 2 cups of the strawberries and place in a medium- size saucepan with the sugar and the cornstarch. Stir constantly over medium -low heat, until the mixture is the consistency of fruit preserves, about 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a glass measuring cup and allow to cool to room temperature, 20-30 minutes. Stir in the remaining berries and then spread the filling evenly into the prepared crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours before serving.
To make the whipped cream topping:
Place the ingredients in a medium- size bowl and whip with an eggbeater or a whisk until soft peaks form. Pipe decoratively or place a dollop of cream on each tart before serving.
