Strawberry Tart

Every year I take my kids strawberry picking.  There is nothing quite like being in the strawberry fields with juice dripping down your chin because you can't get enough of that taste.  According to my son he thinks the warm strawberries taste like strawberry pie.  They certainly can stand on their own with juicy sweetness! The taste is incomparable to any store bought strawberry.  They most definitely melt in your mouth.  For whatever the reason, I find great satisfaction in hand choosing every single strawberry in my basket and making sure it is the absolute best.  Now the ones my two year old picks is another story.  Since you are picking them at their peak, you better eat them fast because they won't last long.  This tart is one of our favorites to make after we have our baskets full.  It does take quite a few strawberries that are all relatively the same size, so having more on hand than the recipe calls for is ideal.  Now go get out in those fields and experience your own strawberry pie! Enjoy!

Strawberry Tart

Crust:

1 ¼ cups flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 tsp salt  

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 lbs strawberries, hulled and halved

1/8 cup apple jelly or red currant jelly

Crust:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, blend flour, butter, sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form when you pinch it together.  Transfer dough to a 9” round tart pan with a removable bottom.  With floured fingers, compress dough evenly into pan and up sides.  Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan.  Freeze crust until firm, 10-15 minutes.  Using a fork, prick crust all over.  Bake until golden, 20-25 min, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up.  Cool completely in pan. (Note- Make sure you DO NOT over bake the crust.  It will get very crispy, which will be difficult to eat with the delicate strawberries.  Just make sure to take it out when it's golden.)

Filling:  In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Spread mixture evenly in bottom of cooled baked crust (still in tart pan).  Starting from the outside of the circle, arrange strawberry halves, stemmed side down, in tight concentric circles on cream cheese (alternate cut strawberry side with each circle).  In a small saucepan, heat jelly on med-low until liquefied.  With a pastry brush gently brush strawberries with jelly and let set at least 20 minutes.  Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours). Remove from pan just before serving.

Serves 8

*Adapted from Everyday Food