strawberry mascarpone tart

strawberry tart 1

Things that are difficult to take pictures of: ice cream, anything shiny, and this strawberry tart.

I almost didn’t post the recipe because I didn’t have any pictures that I deemed worthy, but instead I just settled on this picture, taken with the BF’s iPad.

Why?  Because this recipe needs to be shared, people.  It’s so easy, and so refreshing, and so… perfect.  It’s light, refreshing, and the right amount of sweet.

The kid in me prefers a Nilla Wafer crust, but you could use a regular pie crust all the same, just baked according to its own directions.  You could even use one of those store-bought graham crusts if you were extra short on time, I’m sure it would still taste great!

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Makes 1 8- or 9- inch tart

Printable Recipe

For the Crust

•             2 2/3 cups vanilla wafer cookies

•             1 tbsp sugar

•             1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

•             4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

•             1 egg, whisked with 1 Tablespoon water

For the Filling

•             2 lbs strawberries, stemmed and sliced or quartered

•             1/2 cup white sugar

•             1 Tablespoon lemon zest

•             1 teaspoon lemon juice

•             8 ounces mascarpone cheese

•             4 ounces whipped cream

•             1/2 teaspoon vanilla

•             1/3 cup powdered sugar

•             1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Make the crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Crush wafer cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs.  Add melted butter and vanilla extract and continue processing until blended.  Dump into pie or tart pan and press firmly into bottoms and sides (I find using the bottom/sides of a glass to help press makes a big difference).
  2. Brush bottom of crust with whisked egg and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown; cool completely (up to overnight) before filling.

Make the filling

  1. Toss the strawberries with half of the zest, all of the juice, and sugar in a large bowl; set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. While the strawberries are macerating, mix the mascarpone cheese with lemon zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until well combined.  Gently fold in the whipped cream; refrigerate until needed.
  3. After 30 minutes, strain juice from strawberries into a small saucepan.  Add the balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil of medium heat.  Reduce until thick enough to cover the back of a spoon, it should be like a syrup.  Set aside to cool.

Assemble the tart

  1.  Spread the mascarpone mixture over the bottom of the tart shell, top with strawberries (sometimes I arrange them fancily, other times I just dump them on top and spread them out, whatever your preference and energy levels call for that day), brush with balsamic syrup and chill until ready to serve.

 

[ Adapted from Simply Recipes ]

 

 

strawberry tart 1 pin

 

strawberry galette

strawberry galette main

Have company coming over on short notice? In need of a dessert that’s easy to make but will still impress a crowd? Get suckered into a three pound container of strawberries and at a complete loss of what to do with it?

Then, my dear, this strawberry galette is perfect for you. Low maintenance, high flavor. I’ve made this a number of times, with a variety of fruits and berries, so don’t lock yourself in to strawberries if they’re not your thing. You can save loads of time by using a store-bought pie crust. Yeah, shortcuts are okay here. We’ve got company on the way.

I’ve kept the words short here, so you can get to baking STAT.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Strawberry Galette

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • 2 cups strawberries (or other fruit), sliced
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (a little zest, too, if you feel so inclined)
  • 1/2 tsp corn starch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten (or you can use cream)
  • 1 recipe pie crust or store-bought pie dough (enough for one double crust pie)
  • Raw sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Toss strawberries, lemon juice (and zest, if using), corn starch, and sugar together in a bowl.

2. Unroll crusts onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. This one was a Trader Joe’s crust which was super ginormous so I just made one big one instead of two little ones…. could’ve halved and re-rolled it, but… yeah

3. Spoon berries into the middle of each crust (as if this counts as an additional step), leaving a two-inch border. You can arrange them fancy and overlapping if you like, but I’m not fancy.

4. Fold the sides over to form a border around the center of the galette. Get fancy if you like, but there’s really no need. Brush beaten egg or cream around the border (you can skip it, but it helps with browning). Sprinkle with raw sugar if desired. I desired.

5. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes until lightly browned and your house smells like delicious. Allow to cool on a wire rack until it’s safe for handling. Serve to awe-struck guests with freshly whipped cream.

Oh, you can totally make mini ones too. Yes, they’re adorable. In case you were wondering. No, I don’t have proof. I made some 4-inch ones awhile ago that were pretty cute, too. Just sayin.