Jamie Oliver’s strawberry and balsamic tart is a rustic, free-form tart of whole strawberries tossed in balsamic, caster sugar and cornflour, piled onto sweet shortcrust over a layer of ground almonds. It bakes in 25 minutes and serves 6.
In Simply Jamie (2024) he calls it a “scruffy free-form tart”, and scruffy is the point. There’s no tin and no blind baking. You roll the pastry into a rough oval, pile the fruit in the middle, and fold the edges up by hand.
The trick that keeps the base crisp is two-part: ground almonds scattered under the fruit soak up juice, while cornflour tossed through the berries thickens it as it bakes. Baking on the oven floor sets the bottom fast. Skip either and the tart goes soggy.
Jamie Oliver Strawberry & Balsamic Tart
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes25
minutes459
kcal35
minutesJamie’s no-tin summer tart from Simply Jamie, built on half a batch of his sweet shortcrust and finished with balsamic-glossed strawberries. Rustic on purpose.
Ingredients
500g (1 lb 2 oz) ripe strawberries
2 tablespoons thick balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
4 tablespoons ground almonds
1 free-range egg (for glazing)
Directions
- Heat and roll:Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Make the pastry, then dust a large sheet of greaseproof paper with flour and roll the dough into a rough oval just under ½cm thick. Lift it, paper and all, onto a shallow baking tray.
- Dress the fruit:Twist the stalks off the strawberries and leave them whole. Toss them with the balsamic, caster sugar and cornflour. Scatter the ground almonds across the centre of the pastry, then pile the strawberries on top, juice and all.
- Fold and glaze:Bring the pastry edges up with your hands to hug the fruit and hold it in. Beat the egg and brush it over the exposed pastry.
- Bake:Bake on the bottom of the oven for 25 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve straight away with ice cream, cream, tinned custard or crème fraîche, spooning over the juices from the tray.
FAQs
What does the balsamic vinegar actually do to the strawberries?
Balsamic deepens strawberries rather than souring them. The acidity concentrates their flavour and adds a dark, almost savoury edge that stops the tart tasting flatly sweet. You taste more strawberry, not vinegar.
Use a thick, syrupy balsamic here, not a thin watery one. A good aged balsamic clings to the fruit and caramelises slightly in the oven. If yours is thin, simmer it for a minute to reduce before tossing it through.
Why scatter ground almonds under the fruit?
Beyond holding back juice, the almonds add a soft, nutty layer that works a little like a thin frangipane against the sharp fruit. They give the tart some body, so it isn’t just pastry and berries. It’s a small touch that lifts the whole thing.
If you’re cooking for a nut allergy, swap the almonds for the same amount of fine semolina, ground rice or crushed plain biscuits. They won’t add flavour, but they do the same job of keeping the juices off the base.
Do I have to make the pastry from scratch?
This tart uses half a batch of sweet shortcrust pastry, which is exactly why he writes that pastry as a make-ahead. Make the full batch, use half here, and freeze the other half for up to three months.
Shop-bought sweet shortcrust works if you’re short on time, though the homemade version bakes crisper and tastes of real butter and vanilla. You’ll find this and his other bakes on the Jamie Oliver recipes page if you want to plan a batch.
My tart leaked juice everywhere. What went wrong?
The first time I made this, half the juice escaped onto the tray and the base steamed instead of crisping. Usually it’s the edges: they need to come up high enough and be pressed firmly to hold the fruit and its liquid in. A shallow wall lets everything run out.
The other cause is skipping the cornflour or using very ripe, watery strawberries. The cornflour thickens the juices as they heat, so don’t leave it out. If your berries are especially soft, add an extra teaspoon to be safe.
Can I use frozen strawberries or other fruit?
Fresh ripe strawberries are best, because frozen ones release far more water as they thaw. If frozen is all you have, toss them in still frozen and add an extra tablespoon of cornflour to catch the extra juice. Don’t let them defrost first.
The free-form method suits most summer fruit. Raspberries, halved apricots or sliced plums all work with the same balsamic and cornflour treatment. Firmer fruit like apples needs a few minutes’ head start, so it isn’t a straight swap.
What do I serve it with, and how long does it keep?
Jamie says serve it right away, with ice cream, cream, tinned custard or crème fraîche, and to spoon the tray juices back over the top. Warm is when the pastry is crispest and the fruit glossiest, so this is a pudding to make and eat, not to store.
It’ll sit for a few hours, but by the next day the base softens under the fruit and loses its crunch. If you want something you can make ahead, Jamie’s pear and blackberry crumble holds up far better overnight.
