Strawberry and custard tartlets

Ingredients:

• Chilled round rolled out shortcrust pastry for pie diameter 30 cm.
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tbsp. l. coarse sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
• Special equipment: 9cm cookie cutter, 6cm round scalloped cookie cutter, 6 muffin tin

Preparation:

1. Place 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll the pie dough into a 33cm circle. Cut out 6 circles from the dough using a 9cm round cutter. Press each circle into a muffin tin, making sure they touch the bottom of the tin. Prick the circles with a fork.
3. Press the remaining dough together and roll it out again into a 20cm (8-inch) circle. Cut out 6 circles using a 6cm (2.5-inch) round cookie cutter with wavy edges. Using a paring knife, make decorative slits in each wavy-edged circle and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the pie crust in a muffin tin on a baking sheet until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, puree half the strawberries, cornstarch, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, let cool completely, and stir in the remaining strawberries.
5. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
6. Remove the shortbread tartlets from the pan. Spoon the strawberry filling into the pastry cups and top with a wavy-edged crust. Top with whipped cream.