Summer Strawberry Tart with Mackays

We love those delicious mini strawberry tarts that arrive on the Scottish baker shelves in the Summer months they are soooo good! I thought it would be good to make a giant version, to share with everyone…of course! lol! 😉

This recipe can be viewed in my latest Youtube video below or you can skip straight to my channel here – The Wee Larder Youtube Channel! You can also view and print the full recipe further down the page.

This tart is so delicious to whip up and share with friends at a Summer BBQ or garden party…that is of course if you want to share this lovely plate of Summer or eat it all to yourself! There are so many lovely local strawberries available at this time of year and its the perfect time to enjoy them. In fact I’m going to make a point of not including them in any recipes out of season because the flavour of an imported out of season strawberry just doesn’t even come close to the fresh sweet juicy Summer Scottish strawberries.

If you like the sound of this delicious strawberry tart recipe you may also enjoy some of my other Scottish treats. I love the the Scottish rhubarb crumble its so delicious! You can serve it up with some warm custard or cold freshly whipped double cream. We like the real stuff in our house lol 😀

Another favourite of mine is the traditional Scottish Steamed raspberry jam pudding. This would also work really well with the Mackay’s strawbery jam too or you could try using some of their other preserves.

Disclaimer *This recipe contains gifted promotional products and paid creative content* (as always all opinions and delicious recipes are my own )

This Summer strawberry tart was made with the delicious strawberry jam from Mackays. Thier strawberry jam is made with the finest whole Scottish strawberries and wonderful with afternoon tea. Made with berries grown in the fields of eastern Scotland I thought it was perfect for this recipe.

Mackays – “Mackays are a family run business that has stayed true to its values of producing small authentic batches for a quality homemade taste. Our soft fruits are sourced from the best local Scottish fruit farms and our bitter marmalade oranges come from the famous Seville region in Spain. The story goes that a Spanish sailing ship took refuge in Dundee during a storm. The rest has become part of Mackays cherished history.” – http://www.mackays.com

“All our strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants are sourced from the berry fields of eastern Scotland. Soft fruit from Scotland is considered to be some of the best in the world as the temperate climate allows crops to be grown for longer, resulting in stronger flavours. Our soft fruit farmers are based across Fife, Perthshire and Angus and we work closely with each farm to source the highest quality berries, for every jar of Mackays jam.” – http://www.mackays.com

You can also purchase some more of their lovely preserves, marmalades, curds and chutney in thier online gift shop. I also love the beetroot chutney it goes so well in my Scottish smoked salmon and beetroot tart. You can find the recipe here – https://angiemilne.com/2021/05/10/smoked-salmon-and-beetroot-tart/

Tips for making this recipe:

  • The first and most important tip is watch your temperature when making the custard for the filling. It’s the trickiest part and does burn easily if it is too high or if it is cooked too long. Bring to the boil and quickly drop the temp to a medium to low simmer. Whisk continually for around 3 minutes until it has thicken completely. If its sticks to the bottom and you have burnt it a little you can still get away with using it.
  • Pour the custard into the tart immediately after it has thickened because as it cools it sets and you want it to set into the tart case not in the pan.
  • Use fresh seasonal strawberries and preferrably local because they WILL taste better and produce a much tastier tart than using strawberries out of season.
  • If you want to make this super speedy you could go for a premade and rolled shortcrust pastry if you don’t have time to make the sweet pastry. It will be a little bland though and not as sweet but the lovely strawberry jam will make up for the sweetness.
  • This tart stores well in the fridge and you could make it a day ahead of time. Just make sure it is covered in cling flim so it doesn’t absorb any flavours from the fridge.
  • Serve this delicious tart up with freshly whipped double cream with a dash of vanilla or with some Scottish ice cream.
  • I have used some old black beans for filling up my tart for baking but you can also buy baking beans on amazon too. Old beans work fine and are a cheap way to fill your tarts.

Summer Strawberry Tart

Rustic strawberry tart made with sweet pastry, seasonal Scottish strawberries, real vanilla custard and topped with real fruit Scottish Strawberry jam from Mackays.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Medium sized tart dish

Ingredients
  

Sweet Pastry

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 tsp icing sugar
  • 200g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 130g butter chopped into small pieces
  • 1-2 tbsp cold water optional

Vanilla Custard

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 30g plain flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 300ml fresh milk

Topping

  • 2 punnets strawberries approx 700-800g sliced in half
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 6 tbsp Mackays Strawberry Jam

Instructions
 

  • Start the recipe by preparing the pastry. Seive the icing sugar into a small bowl and add the 2 egg yolks. Stir until combined completely and set aside.
  • Seive the pastry flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir until the salt is combined. Add the butter and rub the butter and flour together between your fingers for a few minutes until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
  • Add the egg yolk and icing sugar mixture into the flour and butter mixture and knead lightly together to create a smooth dough. Add a little cold water if its too dry to form. Cover the dough and refridgerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180oc.
  • Grease your tart dish and after the 30 minutes take the pastry out of the fridge and roll on a floured surface into a large circular shape to fit inside your tart dish. Place the pastry inside and up the sides of the tin or dish.
  • Place a large piece of greaseproof paper inside the tin on top of the pastry covering the sides and pour in baking beans on top of the paper to fill the dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 15minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Remove the beans and baking paper and bake in the oven for a further 5-7minutes until the base is golden. Leave to cool while you make the custard.
  • Make the custard by adding the egg yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla to the pan (no heat at this stage) and mix together well. Add in a little milk at the time and whisk well together. Continue adding in a little milk and whisking in until it is all blended together and there are no lumps.
  • Add the pan to the heat, whisk continuously and bring to the boil then quickly down to a low-medium simmering temperature. Simmer for 3 minutes, do not stop whisking, until the custard thickens as per the video. Pour into the cooled tart immediately upon thickening and leave to set. It should solidify a little upon cooling like a soft custard.
  • Place all of the strawberries on top of the custard. You might not need all of them.
  • Heat the jam and vanilla in a small pan together on a medium heat until the jam has liquified. Pour or brush it over the strawberries on top of the tart and leave to cool before slicing. Sprinkle with icing sugar using a seive.
  • Slice and serve with freshly whipped cream or custard.
Keyword scottish recipes, strawberries, strawberry, strawberry recipes, strawberry tart, summer, summer recipes