Strawberry and Lemon Curd Tart

Sweet strawberries heaped in a crisp crust make a beautiful tart, but a thin layer of lemon curd between the pastry and berries transforms it into something truly special.

Ingredients:
For the lemon curd
5 egg yokes
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
6 Tbs of unsalted butter

For tart pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 Tbs, or more, cold water

For currant glaze
1 cup red currant jelly
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice


~To make Lemon Curd, combine the egg yokes and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan saucepan. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk 1 minute more. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened; don't let it become too hot or the egg yokes will scramble. Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally. There should be about 1 cup. Transfer to a tightly capped jar and chill before assembling the tart.
~To make tart pastry. Food Processor Method: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a processor. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and add them. Process, using rapid off-on pulses, until the mixture resembles small particles about the size of oatmeal flakes. Add 1 Tbs of the water and process for a couple seconds. Add another tablespoon of the water and process with 3-4 off-on pulses. Feel the dough; it should be damp enough to form a rough mass. Add a few more drops of water if necessary to achieve the correct consistency. Dump the dough onto a work surface, gather it together and pat it into a cake . The dough may be used right away, although you may find the dough easier to roll out if it is wrapped in a plastic wrap and chilled for 30 minutes or so, especially on very hot days.
Hand Method: Combine flour sugar and salt in the mixing bowl, and toss together. Cut the butter in to bits and add to flour mixture. With your fingertips, two knives, or a pastry blender, blend the ingredients together, until it resembles oatmeal flakes. Continue, by adding water and making sure the dough is not too wet.  Then dump onto a work surface; continue as you would with Food Processor Method.
Roll dough out on a generously floured work surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick and 11 inches in diameter. Try to keep the shape as round as possible. Transfer rolled-out pastry to a tart pan. Pat some of the overhang back in around the edge to make the sides thicker than the bottom. Trim off any of remaining  overhang.
~To make Currant Glaze: Bring jelly and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool fro a moment. The glaze is now ready to use. If the glaze thickens too much upon standing, reheat gently to liquefy it.

To assemble Tart: Bake tart pastry at 425F, until browned and crisp. Cool completely before filling. Spread the lemon curd in the cooled tart shell. Take 4 cups of strawberries, and if the strawberries are large, slice each one lengthwise into 2-3 pieces. Arrange the strawberries on top of the lemon crd. Brush with warm currant glaze. Serve tart as soon as possible.