Fresh strawberry tart with cognac pastry cream

Bake the weighted shell at 400F for eight minutes, remove the weights, prick the base and return the fully cooked shell for seven to ten minutes.

Unmold the fully cooked shell onto a rack so the crust does not go soggy.

Wash, hull and dry the strawberries completely.

Whisk one cup of sugar with five egg yolks until pale yellow and at the ribbon stage.

Beat in half a cup of flour, then pour on two cups of boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets, starting with a little to loosen the mix.

Pour into a saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring with a wire whisk into the bottom of the pan, two to three minutes to cook out the flour without scorching.

Stir in the cognac a tablespoon at a time.

Cover the surface with a little milk to stop a skin forming; remove it before use.

Boil the red currant jelly with sugar and cognac in a small saucepan past 228F, until the last few drops from the spoon are sticky.

Paint a thin coat of the red currant glaze over the interior of the tart shell to waterproof it and let it set five minutes.

Spread a half inch layer of the pastry cream over the shell.

Dip each strawberry in the red currant glaze and set them point up, starting with the largest in the centre and working out with the smaller ones. Variation: Julia coats the strawberries with the glaze after arranging them instead.

Serve cold.