Building a tart Maison Aleph style

The strawberry version

Bonjour! Bonjour!

Even before I got on the plane to come to Paris, I was thinking about strawberries. About how there’d be piles of them at every market. About how I’d buy them at every market. And about how I’d eat an entire box on the walk home. It's impossible not to! Just like in America, strawberries are available year-round here, but when they’re in season, they’re celebrated. Shoppers ask for the berries by variety – yep, you can do that – and there's something strawberry in every pastry shop window. It’s a moment!

Since I’ve been here, I’ve eaten strawberries every day. Straight out of the box. In a bowl with cream - whipped cream, crème fraîche, lemon cream, heavy cream straight up and very cold. In a tart. In many tarts.

I love a simple tart. If the crust is good and the berries are ripe, then you don’t need much else. In fact, one of my favorite tarts is only a well-baked crust brushed with jam and then filled with fresh berries. It’s impossible to cut neatly since the berries…