Medieval Strawberry Tart
It seems a tad unfair to compare a medieval strawberry tart recipe to my granny's famous pies, but I can't help it. Anytime I take a bite of pie I compare it to hers. The problem is that no pie crust is ever as flaky and tasty as hers; I'm always left a little disappointed. Now I'm not trying to discourage you from making this recipe, quite the contrary.
Last week I had promised a girlfriend that I would make her a recipe from the blog Inn at the Crossroads she had shared with me (insert pat on the back for being a good friend.) Although you may think that we were a little over-indulgent, I take it as a good sign that we each had two pieces, and contemplated a third.
The crust is flaky and a little like the consistency of melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. Make sure you add the thyme, it adds a savory depth and shouldn't be left out. If it were strawberry season, I would definitely use them fresh. Unfortunately, all the strawberries I've ever eaten out of season have been tasteless with the consistency of what I imagine cardboard would feel like in my mouth. I used strawberries I bought this summer from the local farmers market and kept in my freezer. They still had the sweetness of July.
I have to be honest, I couldn't taste the lemon curd. Maybe I didn't add enough. Or maybe the thyme and the strawberries stole all my attention. Either way, I'll add it next time, but I'll just add more. It's really just an excuse to make and eat more tangy lemon curd.
With Valentine's Day coming up my mind has been drifting to red and pink and heart-shaped food. That's normal, right? I think this would be oh so awesome shaped into a heart. If you decide to make this a heart-shaped medieval strawberry tart, can you take a pic and send it to me? I'd love to see it!
If you love this Medieval Strawberry Tart as much as I do, make sure to give it a 5-star rating in the comments below!
Medieval Strawberry Tart
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- ½ cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
- 1-3 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 4 cups strawberries, unthawed if frozen
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3-6 tablespoons lemon curd
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, salt and thyme. Add butter and mix with your fingertips, a pastry cutter or in a food processor just until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough ice water to bring the dough together¾ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, ½ cup chilled butter, 1-3 tablespoons ice water, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap or a tea towel and refrigerate for at least half an hour
- Combine strawberries with sugar, flour and lemon juice. Set aside4 cups strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry ball into a 9″ circle then transfer the crust to a baking sheet. Spread lemon curd leaving 1″ around the edge. Arrange strawberries over the top. Fold up edges of pastry to keep in the strawberries.3-6 tablespoons lemon curd
- Bake on an un-greased, preferably edgeless baking sheet, at a 400F for 25 minutes, or till the edges are light brown, and the center is bubbling. Remove from oven and try not to dig in for at least 15 minutes
I made this tart using a bag of frozen raspberries instead of strawberries, and it was awesome. Will definitely be making again.
Strawberries didn’t exist in the middle ages… it was introduced to europeans in late XVI century
That’s funny. Where did you get this info? I have studied history for so long and they had all kinds of fruit. In the middle ages, the nobles bought fruit as well as extra spices. This is false info.
Such delicious ooze. Loved it a lot. I am going to try with more curd this time and blind bake the pastry in a dish with sides first because I think the citrus taste could be stronger and I want to contain the juices this time.Loved the thyme!
So happy you liked it! Since you liked the thyme crust, you might want to try this recipe too: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/autumn-prune-plum-pie/ 🙂
I need to make and submit a recipe for our bi-annual medieval gathering. This looks so yummy! I’m curious as to the exact source of the recipe .Do you know?
I wish I could tell you but I really don’t know. Maybe try reaching out to Inn at the Crossroads. (http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/strawberry-pie/) They might have a better idea.
Also … a medieval gathering sounds so fun!!
HI
Helping my daughter and two friends make this for their Medieval Faire project for school. Do you think if we made it on a Wednesday evening for a Friday morning it would be okay? The crust might get soggy?
Hi Stacie,
A médiéval faire sounds fun!
When I made it I didn’t finish the pie until about a day and a half after I made it. So yes, I think it should be fine. ?
Your tart looks great! I think I’ll try this in the summer with fresh local strawberries. I love using fresh herbs when I can. I find that basil also goes well with strawberries.
This is such a pretty and elegant tart! I love the idea of making a heart shaped version for Valentine’s.
Thanks, Lucy!
Your strawberry tart looks divine and how nice are you to make it for your friend! I’ve not tried strawberries and thyme together, but I am intrigued, and the way you described the crust sounds delicious. I love a melt in your mouth crust.
Hey Jennifer,
I was surprised how much I liked the thyme in the crust. I never had any idea how well strawberries at thyme go together! If you make it, I’d love to hear what you think of the combination 🙂