Stephanie's Tart

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart (or in this case Strawberry, Blackberry & Kiwi Tart)

One sheet Puffed Pastry (Thawed)
1 8 oz Container Mascarpone (standard size)
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c sugar + a little extra.
1 tbsp. lemon juice.

1. Slice fruit into reasonabley attractive slices or sections. In season pure strawberries are divine, other berries, peaches, nectarines, grapes etc, could always do the trick. If fruit is not sweet enough toss with sugar and let it sit for a couple of hours.

2. Bake pastry shell. Roll out and fit into tart pan. If no pan, roll out a little bit and bake on a cookie sheet. The square shape can be attrative and rustic looking (how Martha is that), just fold up sides to make a little crust. Bake shell according to directions around 25 mins @ 3:25. Crust should be golden and smell like a fresh croissant. Flatten the center using a smaller pan, bowl or plate, just enough to make a depression to fill.

3) While crust is baking whip the whip cream till firm. I like to make the whip cream on the overwhipped side (standard whip cream is very fluffy, overbeat it too much however and you get butter) For this recipe I like the whipped cream to look a little extra beaten, cuz it loses its form over time if you make the tart ahead and when you mix it with the mascarpone.

4) Mix the mascarpone with the sugar and lemon. Sugar to taste. the original recipe calls for a cup but I think even a 1/2 cup is really sweet. Fold the whip cream into the mascarpone to keep fluffy. (chef's note for some reason my whipped cream was taking forever and wouldn't get too dense. I ended up beating the mascarpone in and it fluffed up. Might be a little lighter if you fold it in, but it worked just fine.)

5) Once the crust has cooled, spread the mascarpone mix onto the crust. Spread the fruit out in a patter or just pile it on. For the overachiever you can make a glaze, not as necessary with the sugared fruit, and probably not necessary at all but this is how pastry chefs get their tart shiny. "Melt" (ie heat at a low heat) some apricot jelly or jam in a pan with a little bit of water. Take a pastry brush and brush over fruite and crust edges. You should get an added luster to your tart.

I find the bottom of the crust gets soggy if you assemble ahead of time, so when home I prefer to assemble it right before you eat it. When going out however, as in this case it's easier to just make it in advance.

Note from Leiha:
I highly recommend this dish, it was the best fruit tart I've ever had and can't wait to try this recipe myself:)

Share on Google Plus

About Leiha

I love to eat and sleep. One thing is more fun to blog about than the other. In between eating and sleeping I love to travel, spend time with my family and talk about myself. :)