After a LONG winter here in Chicago, the very idea of strawberries is music to my ears – and my taste buds! I made these beautiful tarts with a buttery cookie tart shell, added a layer of vanilla cream cheese filling, then I topped them with sliced strawberries. So pretty! Now I’m ready for spring.
You will need 2 pints of fresh strawberries, and a small jar of apricot jam.
First, I prepared the tart shell dough. This recipe will make 1 – 9″ tart shell, or 6 individual 4″ tart shells. Double to make more.
Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
2/3 c confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir together. Add cubed butter, and cut in with a pastry cutter, til you have a coarse mixture. Pour this into a stand mixer bowl, with a paddle attachment.
Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture. Blend on med. just til the dough comes together. Turn out onto a cutting board, and press together into a 6″ disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Next, prepare the cream cheese filling.
Ingredients:
12 oz cream cheese, room temp
3/4 c confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp heavy cream
In a mixing bowl, using a paddle attachment. cream together the cream cheese, and sugar. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, and blend til smooth. Refrigerate.
Now make the tart shells. Spray the tart pan with cooking spray. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Place on a floured surface, and roll out to a 13″ circle. Cut circles that will fit the size of your tart pan. I found the lid to my flour container was perfect for a 4″ tart! Place the dough into each tart. They should be level with the top of the pan. Freeze for about 20 min.
Preheat oven to 350. Remove tart shells from the freezer. Place a piece of foil into each tart shell, then fill with dry beans or pie weights. This will not only keep the tart bottom flat, but will also keep the sides in place during the baking process. Place tart pan on a cookie sheet, and bake for about 20 min. Remove the foil and beans/weights, and bake til lightly golden for another 3-5 min. Remove from oven, and cool completely. Remove each tart shell gently using a knife, and place on a cookie sheet.
Now it’s time to build the tarts. Start with the cream cheese filling. I piped this in to cover the bottom of the tart. You can certainly use a spoon, or a knife just as well.
Now slice your strawberries, and arrange them as you like. I topped these with a whole strawberry.
Brush the strawberries with a little apricot jam, warmed in the microwave. This will seal the strawberries, and give them a nice gloss.
Refrigerate. These will stay fresh covered with plastic wrap, for about 3 days.
