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Mini Strawberry Pies with Diplomat Cream Recipe

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4.1 from 75 reviews

  • Author: Ava
  • Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
  • Yield: 11 mini pies
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This recipe details how to make delightful mini strawberry pies with a crisp homemade pie crust filled with smooth diplomat cream and fresh strawberries. The pie crust is tender and buttery, while the diplomat cream is a luscious blend of pastry cream stabilized with gelatin and folded with whipped heavy cream. Perfect bite-sized treats for dessert or special occasions.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 375 g All purpose flour
  • 270 g Unsalted butter (82% fat, very cold)
  • 120 g Water (very cold)
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt

Diplomat Cream

  • 500 g Whole milk (3% fat)
  • 100 g Granulated sugar
  • 80 g Egg yolk (approx. yolk of 4-5 eggs)
  • 25 g Corn starch
  • 25 g All-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
  • 50 g Unsalted butter (82% fat, room temperature soft butter)
  • 3 Gelatin sheets (3×1.7g=5g gelatin overall)
  • 200 g Heavy cream (very cold, 36% fat)

Filling and Decoration

  • 250 g Strawberries (fresh)
  • Mint leaves (for decoration, optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare and Chill Pie Crust Ingredients: Mix flour and salt and place in the freezer. Cut cold butter into small chunks and chill in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until very cold.
  2. Make Pie Dough: Add the cold butter chunks to the chilled flour mixture and rub with your fingers until sand-like. Gradually add very cold water and stir, then gently bring the dough together without overworking, leaving some butter chunks intact. Form a disk and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  3. Roll Out Dough: After chilling, let the dough sit briefly at room temperature while staying cold. Roll it out between silicone baking mats or on a lightly floured surface into a 42×30 cm (16×12 inch) rectangle. Keep dough cold to avoid sticking; re-chill if necessary.
  4. Cut and Shape Dough: Using a cookie cutter sized to fit your muffin tin holes (approx. 11 cm/4 inches), cut dough circles. Flip the muffin pan and gently press dough pieces into each cavity. Freeze the dough-lined pan for 10 minutes.
  5. Bake Pie Crusts: Preheat the oven to 200°C (372°F) without fan. Bake the crusts in the muffin pan for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan, brush lightly with an egg wash (egg yolk mixed with milk), and bake an additional 5 minutes until golden brown.
  6. Prepare Gelatin: Soak gelatin sheets in cold water to soften while making the pastry cream.
  7. Make Pastry Cream Base: Whisk together sugar and egg yolks until fluffy, then whisk in cornstarch, flour, and vanilla until smooth.
  8. Cook Pastry Cream: Heat milk to simmer, pour slowly into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Return mixture to a saucepan and cook on medium heat until it thickens and starts to boil (about 1 minute after boiling), whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
  9. Add Gelatin and Butter: Remove excess water from gelatin sheets and stir them into the hot pastry cream one at a time. Then add soft butter gradually in three stages, mixing thoroughly to incorporate.
  10. Cool Pastry Cream: Transfer pastry cream to a shallow bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent skin forming. Let cool to room temperature.
  11. Whisk Pastry Cream Smooth: Lightly whisk cooled pastry cream for 1-2 minutes for smoothness, taking care not to over-whisk which could make it runny.
  12. Whip Heavy Cream: Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks, then gently fold it into the pastry cream in three additions until fully incorporated to form diplomat cream.
  13. Assemble Mini Pies: Fill each baked pie crust with sliced strawberries, spoon or pipe diplomat cream on top, and decorate with additional sliced strawberries and mint leaves if desired.
  14. Serve and Store: Serve the mini strawberry pies immediately, or refrigerate leftovers for up to 2-3 days.

Notes

  • Keep the butter and water very cold to achieve a flaky pie crust texture.
  • Do not overwork the dough to preserve tender crumb and flakes.
  • Using silicone baking mats helps prevent sticking when rolling out dough.
  • Freezing the dough-lined muffin pan helps maintain shape during baking.
  • Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap directly on the surface to avoid skin formation.
  • Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and gently fold for a light diplomat cream texture.
  • Use fresh strawberries for optimal flavor and texture in the filling.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French

Find it online: https://quickandsweetrecipes.com/mini-strawberry-pies-with-diplomat-cream-recipe/