Make this. Now.
I’m not kidding. Once upon a time, about a week ago, I did not own a tart pan. Then I saw this recipe and bought a tart pan immediately (God bless Amazon.com). In fact, I bought this tart pan and couldn’t recommend it more highly. Then I purchased the ingredients for this tart. Then I made it. Then my life changed.
Yes, this tart is life-changing.
It’s a bit time consuming to make, but totally worth the effort. You start by prebaking the crust and fill it with a chocolate ganache. After it’s hardened, you spread a sweetened cream cheese mixture on top of the chocolate and finish it off by covering it with fresh sliced strawberries. And you should definitely budget in the time it takes to eat it. Actually, I’m kidding. It doesn’t really take any time at all to eat it. It’s *that* good.
This is my all time favorite way to work fresh strawberries into a summery dessert.
Ingredients
Instructions
- To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edge, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the ganache, place the chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk the chocolate and cream together until a smooth ganache forms. Whisk in the butter. Spread the ganache in a thin even layer over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Allow the ganache to set in the fridge before proceeding.
- To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl on medium-high speed until smooth. Blend in the vanilla and milk or cream. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled ganache in the tart shell.
- Starting from the outside and working toward the center, place the sliced strawberries in concentric circles slightly overlapping each other. Gently press the berries into the cream cheese mixture to help keep them in place. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 // May 30, 2011 at 3:56 pm
It is soooo pretty. I love the chocolate ganache layer hidden inside. It’s like a surprise present for your mouth.
2 aishahias // May 30, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Mmmmm… That looks soo good!
3 maggie // Jun 2, 2011 at 12:34 am
Beautiful photos. Really eye catching and I bet even more delish to eat.
4 Honestly Good Food // Jun 2, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Omigod, that looks amazing. Secret chocolate layer!!!!!! I love it. Getting my tart pan out now!
5 Kim // Jun 6, 2011 at 6:46 am
Yumm! Yumm! I made this over the weekend, it truly is amazing! Thanks Paula~
6 Kerry // Jul 6, 2011 at 10:53 am
So yummy! I made it for the Fourth of July for my family’s BBQ and posted some pics (and gave you credit!) Everyone loved it, and it was so simple to make!
http://engineeredcrafts.squarespace.com/
Leave a Comment