I have become fully obsessed with milky oolong, which is an alkalized oolong tea that tastes like those creamy milk nougats you might find in Asian grocery stores. I find that milky oolong is the perfect ingredient to pair with strawberries, as one is sweet and buttery, and the other is tangy and tart. I wanted to have a dessert with a bit more of a concentrated strawberry flavor, and a strawberry tart just made sense. For this recipe, the milky oolong is used in both the tart shell and a pastry cream, while the strawberries are used in a compote layer, as well as freshly sliced and garnishing the top of our little tartlets. I also had a ton of fun taking the leftover tart dough and stamping out these little daisies that were baked off and used as an additional garnish. I really need to use those daisy cutters more, since I purchased them years ago because I wanted to use them for marshmallows and chocolate cut-outs, and just never used them. That tangent aside, these tarts are super pretty to look at, and honestly taste even better than they look! I usually do not comment on the prettiness of my own desserts like that, but I was genuinely happy with how the tarts came together – the color contrast, the height, it was really all there!

For the components, we have a shortbread crust made with milky oolong tea powder, a strawberry compote, a milky oolong tea pastry cream, chantilly cream, and glazed strawberries. The dough itself needs time to chill down, as with any heavily butter-based dough, otherwise your dough will shrink when you bake them. This recipe is definitely a patience tester, but needless to say, it is well worth it for the end result. If you are like me and feel like you need something to distract you with, the one thing that does work in your favor with this recipe is the number of bloody components in the tart. There are a decent amount of garnishes here, since you have 4 other things to work on while the tart dough is chilling/baking/cooling. I recommend working on the jam and pastry cream first, since those will need time to cool down, then the chantilly cream towards the end, since while it does need to stay cool, it does not require you to heat anything up first to prepare it. Temperatures are a very important factor here, since the chantilly cream can only be piped on cold fillings and a cold tart shell, otherwise you will get a strawberry cream soup(which actually sounds like a pleasant thing to me anyways) in a soggy crust. Make sure to give each component ample time to cool down, just so you do not run that risk. Fortunately, since there will always be a component to work on with each and every step, while there is a lot of potential for downtime or waiting, chances are, you will be working on something else while a component is setting or cooling, so time will fly as you work on this recipe! And the best result is that feeling of accomplishment when it all comes together at the end!

Makes 4 4-inch tartlets:
For the shortbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely ground milky oolong powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk

In a food processor, mix the flour, butter, tea powder, sugar, and salt until a coarse, crumbly dough has formed. Mix into that the egg yolk, stirring the dough until it comes together in a ball. Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and place it into 4 inch ring molds, placed on a lined sheet tray, pressing and rolling the dough so that it is about 1/8-inch thick on the edges. Trim the excess dough off the edges and place parchment and baking weights into the ring mold. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and baking weights, and bake for another 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. Allow the tart shell to fully cool before attempting to unmold. With any remaining dough, roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out 1/2-inch wide daisy shapes. Bake the dough flowers at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

For the strawberry compote:
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

In a pot, heat up everything on low until the strawberries completely break down into a soft, jammy substance. Allow the compote to cool completely.

For the milky oolong pastry cream:
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp milky oolong powder
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

In a pot, steep the milk with the tea powder on low heat for 5 minutes. Then in another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Pour half of the milk into the egg yolks while whisking. Then pour the egg yolks into the milk and whisk everything on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the custard begins to thicken and cling to your whisk. Pass the pastry cream through a sieve to remove any lumps. Allow the pastry cream to cool, covered with cling wrap pressed against the surface, until time to assemble.

For the chantilly cream:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Whisk everything in a bowl until thick peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and keep refrigerated until time to assemble.

For the glaze:
2 tbsp warm water
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Allow the sugar and salt to dissolve in the water prior to assembly.

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries

Slice the strawberries and brush each slice with the glaze. Spread 2 tbsp of the compote into the bottom of each tart shell. Then pipe the pastry cream into each shell, spreading them evenly in a flat layer. Then alternate piping chantilly cream, the daisies made from the leftover tart shells, and the glazed berries to finish.