Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

  

Very pleased this week. One of my posts have made it onto Foodgawker. Peanut Butter cookies is my first ever, and has made their criteria to be featured on their site! I haven't even added a token glass of milk in the background or tied my cookies up in string, either! (So many other cookies tied in string/ ribbon pics out there on the net). I call it 'cookie-bondage'. And let's be honest now, 'cookie-bondage' is not good for rapid cookie consumption. (E.g: see Cookie Monster).

Anyway, lets not digress. You came here for Strawberry tart and yesterday was tart day for me. I actually saw this recipe on Tutti Dolci and it inspired me to create my own. I have adapted it slightly, to have shortcrust pastry and being in the UK, I'm not too familiar with using US cup measurements. Yet. I am debating whether or not to feature more US cup measurements or continue to use grams and ounces if it's okay for my US visitors? The tart was lovely to say the least and it made such a pretty picture. The fresher and sweeter your strawberries, the better. And the honey coating on the top makes this tart taste even more special.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Sweet shortcrust pastry

125 g plain flour

Pinch of salt

55 g butter, cubed

2 tbsp Caster sugar

3 tbsp cold water

Filling

225 g Mascarpone, at room temperature

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp honey

--> ¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

Topping

about 12 strawberries, hulled and halved

1 ½ tbsp honey

Equipment

36cm rectangular tart tin (loose-bottomed)

baking beans

For the pastry, mix flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter. With fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs (work quickly so that dough does not become greasy). Add Caster sugar. Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together. Form a ball and wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes before using.

Preheat your oven to 180 C. On a floured surface, roll out your dough from the centre outwards and try to roll in the shape of your tin. Ease dough into your tart tin and lightly press it into the sides of the tin. Allow some excess to overlap over the edges. Prick dough base all over with a fork. Once done, use a rolling pin to roll over the top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry. Blind bake the pastry shell with weight (baking beans or uncooked rice on greaseproof paper) on its base for 10 minutes. Remove the weight  and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the pastry is dry with no greasy patches. Allow tart to cool completely.

For the filling, mix Mascarpone with milk, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest until fluffy. To assemble tart, spoon filling into cooled tart shell and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Arrange strawberries over filling in a decorative pattern. Place honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush glaze over strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.