Tarte aux fraises

I've been wanting to make a strawberry tart since the berry season started, but I worried that I wouldn't be able to make the crème pâtissière (pastry cream) successfully. Past attempts resulted in a thin sauce that wouldn't thicken or a sauce that thickened too much and became lumpy. Ken came to the rescue and offered to make it this time. The crème worked well and was delicious (although Ken mentioned that it could have been a little sweeter). I did the crust, a pâte sablée. Instead of glazing the fruit, I made a coulis with strawberries and sugar and poured that over the berries.

Fresh strawberries set on a layer of pastry cream in a shortbread or cookie crust.

Sunday was a productive day. I did the taxes! That's done for another year. And... I planted the tomato seedlings out in the garden. First I needed to rake a little to smooth out the dirt, then pound the stakes into the ground. There are ten plants, three varieties. Today I hope to get the zucchini and pumpkin seedlings in. Then I can think about planting a row of green beans. And there's grass to be cut!