Strawberries and shortbread, revisited (gluten-free)

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Since I live in France, I believe I learn to make these (18th century style?) layered pastry cakes through osmosis. Lol. A bit Versailles fancy for the eyes but actually quite tasty and with so many textures and flavors.  

The shortbread is delightfully light, doesn't crack and isn't too dry, while being able to withstand the weight of the cream and fruit. The cream is made with vanilla bean and mascarpone, just slightly sweetened and fluffed from the whipping cream. Finally, the seasonal fruits add the tanginess, freshness and full-bodied flavor.  Lastly, the touch of meringue is for those who really like sweetness, and it's just as an added decoration.

Here's what you'll need : 

Shortbread :
250 g flour (or gluten-free blend with xanthan gum)
125 g butter
80 g confectioners sugar
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons of water, as needed
A dash of salt

In a bowl, mix flour and butter, then add the egg yolk. Add confectioners sugar, water if needed and with hands, knead to get a nice ball, not sticky to the touch.  Do not over-knead or it will get too elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  
Preheat oven to 180° C / 350° F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Take the ball of dough and with a rolling pin, roll out and flatten to a 1/4 inch thickness.  Try to use as little flour as possible while rolling out so the dough doesn't harden while cooking. Cut out disks, to an even number, because you'll need 2 per cake.  (With this recipe you can make about 12-14 disks, depending on the circumference). Place disks on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly sandy in color. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Mascarpone cream (if you can, make this the day before) :
2 egg yolks
100 g of sugar
25 g of cornstarch
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 ml of whole milk
50 ml whipping cream
200 g of mascarpone

5-8 strawberries and/or raspberries or blueberries
Meringue for decorating (see recipe under Pistachio and almond cake)

Method : 
For the mascarpone cream, place the gelatin sheets in cold water to soften.  In a bowl, cream the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until lightened in color.  Over medium heat, in a medium saucepan, heat the milk, scrape the contents of a vanilla bean into liquid, leave to simmer about 3 minutes.  Pour 1/4 of the warm vanilla milk into the yolk mixture and stir well.  Then pour this mixture back into the saucepan and stir until blended.  Add the softened gelatin sheets, and stir with a whisk until they have dissolved.  Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  

This is what it looks like after the cream thickens.
Once thickened, pour back into bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap touching the entire cream surface (this prevents it from forming a crust) and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, or best, overnight.  
Take out of the refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (otherwise, put it in the microwave for a few seconds).  Mix to remove clumps, add whipping cream to smooth the texture.  Fold in mascarpone, and mix with a beater or mixer about 2-3 minutes or until thickened and smooth.  Spoon into a piping bag, or if you don't have one, you can also spoon onto the disks.

Assembling: take two disks and begin to pipe cream on one disk.  Top with the second disk and repeat.  Add sliced fruit, candy, meringue or nuts on top to decorate.

Enjoy, everyone !