There is no better filling for a strawberry tart than Diplomat Cream (or Crème à Diplomate) as my French pastry chef colleague, Gilles Lavergne, called it. He is the one who first put me on to this combination and I've been using it ever since. The slight tartness of the whipped crème fraîche that is folded into the Diplomat Cream is the perfect balance—a pair made in heaven—to the sweet strawberries. Diplomat Cream is like a pastry cream with two additions: a little gelatin, which gives enough firmness to the cream to keep the berries from sinking, and the whipped crème fraîche. You can use Diplomat Cream for any purpose where you would use pastry cream.
NOTE: This recipe yields a large quantity of Diplomat Cream, suitable for large tarts. For a smaller version that yields half the quantity, see Strawberry Tarts with Diplomat Cream.
YIELD: ABOUT 1200g (2# 10 oz)
Recipe adapted from an original recipe given to me by Gilles Lavergne: 5/20/99.