I always debate about desserts. There are only two of us, and Brian and I don't need to eat a whole cake. And Brian doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so then I end up eating three-fourths of the cake. Not good for my bottom half.
But every once in a while I find something that gets his attention. This Strawberry Tart is my newest find. It may look complicated, but it's really not so bad. Trust me.
For Crust:
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
1/4 t. salt
7 T butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 375.
Mix these together in a bowl with your fingertips. I tried using a fork, but it doesn't work for me. Mix just until it resembles a coarse meal.
1 egg yolk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. lemon juice
3 T cold water
Stir these together in a class or coffee cup. Then drizzle it over your flour mixture and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together.
Knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently fold over and knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a small disk. Place in the center of the tart pan (I used a pie pan, since my tart pan and cheesecake pans have both gone on vacation, apparently.) Cover with plastic wrap, and use your fingers to press the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
**At first, I wasn't going to do this, because it seemed silly. But I decided to try it, and it was made the crust so easy! I always have a hard time with press-in dough, it ends up with holes, but this was perfect! Please don't skip this step!**
Freeze the dough for 10 minutes. Line the pan with foil and bake until the edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue to bake until the shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes.
For Topping:
1 1/2 lb strawberries, trimmed and sliced
1/3 C sugar
Stir these together in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
For Filling:
8 oz mascarpone cheese
8 oz cream cheese**
2 T sour cream
2 T half and half
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
3/4 t. vanilla
**The recipe originally called for 2 cups of mascarpone cheese, but the stuff is so expensive I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I substituted with the cream cheese, sour cream and half and half.**
Let the mascarpone and cream cheese sit out for a while to get soft. Then whisk all of the filling ingredients together.
Topping, Continued:
3/4 C ruby port
Strain strawberries in a colander set over a small saucepan, returning berries to their bowl. Add the port to the saucepan and boil until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly.
Assembly:
Spread cheese mix in the cooled crust. Top with strawberries and drizzle the glaze over. Chill for at least 1 hour, if you can wait that long!
