Strawberry Tart

Spring is such a beautiful season with all the colorful flowers blooming and the fresh spring vegetables and fruits. One of my favorite fruits are strawberries with their sweet taste and bright red color. This is a perfect time for a strawberry tart made with Mascarpone cheese, which is an Italian cream cheese. This cheese has a slight richer and luscious taste to it then regular cream cheese. The tart recipe is easy and only has 3 parts to it. Here goes:

Crust

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons honey

Filling

8 ounces Mascarpone, at room temperature
2 tablespoons low-fat milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Topping

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
1 1/2 tablespoon honey


Directions

For the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with nonstick spray.  In a small bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter, and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, then beat in honey. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined.

Use a piece of parchment paper to press dough evenly in the bottom and up the sides of prepared tart pan, then prick dough all over with a fork. Bake for 16 minutes, until crust is golden. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the filling, in a food processor combine Mascarpone, milk, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest and process until fluffy.

To assemble tart, spoon filling into cooled tart shell and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Arrange strawberries over filling in a decorative pattern. Place honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush glaze over strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Yield - 8 servings