Medieval Strawberry Tart
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This medieval strawberry tart is made with a savory thyme crust, lemon curd, and sweet strawberries. It’s an incredible combination of flavors that you’ll want to enjoy again and again.
Many years ago, we promised a friend we’d make her a recipe from the blog Inn at the Crossroads. This medieval strawberry tart looked too good to resist. We’ve since made it many times and have adapted the recipe slightly to suit our personal taste.
The crust is flaky and a little like our melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. Make sure you add the thyme, it adds a savory depth and shouldn’t be left out. If it’s strawberry season, definitely use them fresh. In the winter, frozen strawberries work great.
What makes this tart special
- The flaky, savory crust with a hint of thyme is truly wonderful.
- Sweet strawberries cooked to jammy perfection.
- A layer of sweet-tart lemon curd brings it all together.
Recipe FAQs
Is it best to use fresh or frozen strawberries?
That depends on the season. In-season strawberries taste wonderfully sweet. If you can find them at the market, use fresh strawberries. If you can’t find sweet strawberries, use frozen and thaw them first.
Can I use dried thyme?
Store-bought dried thyme often has a musky or moldy flavor, so we use fresh thyme. If your dried thyme smells wonderful, then go ahead and use it. You’ll need one teaspoon for this recipe.
Do I need to use a tart pan?
No, to maintain the medieval feel of this tart, we form the dough on a sheet pan so that it resembles a galette.
Can I use a different crust?
While we believe the thyme in this crust makes the recipe so special, you can use your favorite pie crust if you prefer. Or try our butter and shortening pie crust—it’s super flaky and delicious!
Medieval Strawberry Tart Recipe
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 (thawed if frozen)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together flour, salt, and thyme. Add butter and mix with your fingertips, a pastry cutter, or a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough ice water to bring the dough together, 1 tablespoon at a time.¾ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, ½ cup chilled butter, 1-3 tablespoons ice water, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Form the pastry into a disk and wrap it in parchment paper and refrigerate it for at least half an hour
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the strawberries sugar, flour, and lemon juice.4 cups strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a 9″ circle then transfer the pie crust to a baking sheet. Spread lemon curd leaving 1″ around the edge. Arrange the strawberries over the top. Fold up the edges of the pastry to keep in the strawberries.½ cup lemon curd
- Bake on an un-greased, preferably edgeless baking sheet 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
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I’m so confused! In the photo the strawberries look uncooked. What happens when you bake lemon curd? Don’t they strawberries turn to mush?
The first picture is before it went into the oven. You can see in the photo of the slice of tart that the strawberries are a lot softer.
I made this for a school history project. It was great! People ate well back in those days.
this recipe is out of this world I made it for school and Its soooooo good its the best!!!!1🤩😁🥰🤩🤗🙀
i love it
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.
you’re thinking of the variety we have now. English Wood Strawberries have been around for longer
That is why you have no life
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 medieval 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.
Thanks, Lucy!
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 🙂