Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Fit the pastry into a 9-inch pie pan. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are light golden, checking occasionally and poking a fork into any large bubbles. Remove from oven and transfer pie pan to a wire rack.
Wash and hull the strawberries, then cut the small ones vertically into halves and the larger ones into thirds, and set them cut-side down onto paper towels to dry.
In a small bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks, and reserve.
In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add a little milk and stir well to produce a smooth paste. Gradually stir in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the mixture begins to thicken on the bottom of the pan, begin stirring constantly, scraping the entire pan bottom continuously. When it turns slightly translucent and becomes like thick sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately stir until the mixture is well combined. Pour these tempered egg yolks back into the pan containing the rest of the hot milk mixture, and stir immediately until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
Return the pan to the stove and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to mound slightly — until it looks more like pudding than sauce. If it is not cooked sufficiently at this stage, it will be runny even after it is chilled. If you're not sure, cook it more, not less.
