Save this strawberry tart recipe for when it’s your turn to outdoor host!
Today is the day! We're finally allowed to have people over in our gardens and we cannot wait to spend the summer entertaining friends in what will hopefully be a super summer – weather permitting!
But it's been a while since a lot of us have entertained so we're all a little rusty on the hostess front. This strawberry tart recipe is the perfect way to dive back into entertaining people. Light and summery, this is the perfect no-fuss dessert that is a total crowd pleaser – and in season!
You'll need…
1 lemon
500g strawberries
3tbsp strawberry preserves
350 all-purpose flour
300g granulated sugar
Salt
1tsp vanilla extract
10tbsp butter
400g cream cheese
100ml heavy cream
Heat your oven to 200C.
Place flour, 150g of your sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and mix together.
Melt your butter in bowl over a pot of hot water or by placing it in the microwave for no more than 15-20 seconds.
Pour the melted butter into the flour-sugar-salt mixture and stir it in until it forms a thick dough.
Grease a tart tray with butter and place your dough into the tray, pressing it out with your fingers to mold to the shape of the tray, making sure it covers it entirely.
Using a fork, poke holes in the pastry to release air and let it cook through. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
While its cooking, begin making your filling by whipping up your cream until thick and able to ‘stand’ in the bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add your cream cheese and the rest of your sugar and whip until blended.
Juice your lemon and add it into the cream cheese bowl, along with your grated lemon zest and vanilla essence. Whip it all together to blend.
Add your whipped cream to the cream cheese bowl and fold it in to mix them.
Allow your tart crust to cool and them spoon the cream cheese-whipped cream into the tart’s base, filling the hollow.
Wash your strawberries and slice them into halves. Place the slices along the outer edge, working your way inwards until the entire tart is covered.
Put your strawberry preserves into a small bowl and add 1tbsp of water, mixing them together. Microwave for thirty seconds and then brush the mixture over the strawberries on the tart.
Refrigerate for two hours and then serve with a fresh sprig of mint for extra summery freshness!