Denise says:
Most fruits can be bought all year, but you can’t beat the true English strawberry that is in season between June and September. The Elsanta is the variety that takes up most shelf space in the supermarkets but of course the best of British strawberries can by picked yourself at numerous pick your own farms all over the countryside. It makes a fun family outing and provides an excellent way to encourage children to eat more fruit.
To enjoy strawberries at their best add a little black pepper or good quality balsamic vinegar and eat at room temperature. This magically brings out their superior flavour.
This tart is made with vanilla shortcrust pastry that is filled with cream cheese and Greek yoghurt and is topped with fresh strawberries. For a short cut buy ready rolled shortcrust pastry.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 20 minutes for pastry to chill
Cooking Time: 20 minutes Makes: 10 individual tarlets
Ingredients:
For The Pastry600g plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
300g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks – to glaze pastry
For the Filling
350g cream cheese
100g Greek Yogurt or Thick natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g strawberries – hulled and halved
3 tablespoons icing sugar
6 tablespoons strawberry jam – to glaze
Method
1) Combine all the pastry ingredients together in the food processor until it forms a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film, flatten slightly and put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.2) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.
3) Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry. Cut out 10 rounds using a 10cm / 6 inch plain cutter. Press the pastry into the section of a deep muffin tin or loose base tartlet case. Tear ten pieces of kitchen foil into 10 cm/ 6 inch squares and press one into each pastry shell. Fill with baking beans or rice to ensure a perfect pastry shell.
4) Bake blind for 15 minutes, then remove the foil. Glaze the inside of the pastry with egg yolk. Return to the oven for a further 3-4 minutes or until golden.
5) Remove from the muffin tins as soon as they are cool enough to handle and leave on a wire rack.
6) Stir in the icing sugar and vanilla essence into the cream cheese or Greek yoghurt. Spoon into the pastry cases. Halve the strawberries and arrange on top.
7) Melt the strawberry jam in a small saucepan or microwave with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Brush the strawberries until generously coated.
To serve the stylish way: Dust with a little icing sugar.