Recipe by Martine Holzman, Owner of Martine's Pastries
May is a prime month for Kentucky-ripened strawberries, whether you’re picking them at the orchard, eating them straight from the carton or folding them into a favorite summer dish.
Martine Holzman, an accomplished local baker focusing on wedding and specialty cakes, pastries and cookies, has shared this recipe for a favorite strawberry dessert, the strawberry tart – or, as the French call it, “tarte aux fraises.” Light, fresh and perfectly balanced, this treat is ideal for a Mother’s Day dessert or a backyard brunch – or really, “just because.”
Filling Ingredients:
Strawberry Tart 3
Photo by Theresa Stanley
• 1 pound fresh strawberries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons mascarpone
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
Dough Ingredients:
• 2 cups whole purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut in little pieces
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup almond meal
Method:
Blend flour, butter, sugar and almond meal in a food processor until the texture becomes sandy. Add the egg, pulsing until a ball forms. Refrigerate for one hour. Roll the dough and press in tart pan, cutting out excess. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes to a very light brown.
With a knife, open the vanilla bean and scrape seeds; add the seeds to the heavy cream. Whip the cream and powdered sugar then add mascarpone. Warm the raspberry jam with some lemon juice. Wash the strawberries and cut their stems.
Spread the cream in the tart shell, place the strawberries inside, then glaze them with raspberry jam. Serves 10. cc