Strawberry Almond Tart

Ingredients

For the dough/crust:

• 2 cups  wheat flour
• 3/4 cup plant based butter or oil
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar or prefered sweetener 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4-5 tablespoons cold non-dairy milk

For the creamy filling:

• 2 cups of non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup condensed coconut milk or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond essence/extract

For the top strawberry layer:

• cup of fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon of agar agar
• Roasted sliced almonds

Preparation

For the dough:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a food processor, or in a medium bowl, place the flour together with the vegetable butter or oil and mix well so that the butter is completely integrated with the flour, forming what feels like  "wet sand".
3. Add the sugar and salt and mix well.
4. Little by little, add the cold vegetable milk, and begin forming a dough but without kneading, it should only be put together even if it feels loose.
5. Place this loose dough in a non-stick tart pan and press first with your hands to cover the surface well including the sides, and then using a flat-bottomed cup, smooth the dough well by pressing on the sides to obtain an even surface.
6. Put the crust in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.
7. Let cool.

For the filling:

1. In a small pot, mix the cold milk with the cornstarch, add the condensed coconut milk or honey and the vanilla essence, turn on the heat in low and using a spatula or wooden spoon mix as it cooks until it thickens.
2. Continue to mix until it has the consistency of thick cream.
3. Place the hot mixture inside the dough, let cool.
4. Put the tartlet in the refrigerator overnight so that the filling can firm up.

For the strawberry topping:

1. In a small pot, put the strawberries with two or three tablespoons of water and let them boil, add the sugar and mix.
2. At the end, put the agar agar, mix well and turn off.
3. Let cool, and place on top of the tartlet rested and cooled overnight.
4. Place the tartlet back in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, until the strawberry topping is solid.
5. Serve with laminated almonds on top and a little powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them if desired.