The June-bearing strawberries are at their peak in the Skagit Valley, so I am dusting off this incredibly easy and delicious recipe so you can fully enjoy these fragrant fruits with ease during their all-too-brief season.
This is one of my all time favorite “lazy lady” recipes. It’s very simple and only requires 5 ingredients, so anyone can make it with ease. But, there is no compromise when it comes to the quality or presentation.
As fresh, seasonal berries begin to arrive at the market in abundance, fresh fruit desserts are in demand and what could be more pleasing than an elegant fruit tart with a crunchy, buttery crust, creamy filling and that beautiful layer of fresh fruit?
But, even though the days are getting longer, sometimes there is not enough time to prepare the perfect Pâte Brisée, and that vanilla custard filling {and what if it curdles? Yikes!}. That is why I have created this Splendid Strawberry Tart recipe. With a quick trip to the grocery store {yes: only 5 ingredients!} and a little advanced planning, you can present a fresh fruit tart that will delight your friends and family {and YOU} all summer long with ease. It can be made with any fresh fruit and will always provide pleasing results.
The crunchy, rich crust offers an intense contrast to the creamy, tart filling and the juicy fruits.
The most time consuming portion is waiting for the crust to chill (at least 2 hours, that you can be out doing something else), the crust can be made up to 4 days in advance. The final toppings take just minutes to prepare and assemble.
Splendid Strawberry Tart
(This version was made with an 11″ loose bottom round tart pan, to make your tart look a little more French make it in a rectangular loose bottom tart pan, or, for a more personal presentation, make individual tartlets).
Ingredients
7 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 cups {16 oz.} crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound strawberries {or fruit of your choice},
washed, topped and sliced in 1/2
Preparation
Using a rolling-pin, lightly tap the cookies to shatter them, then roll the cookies until they are a smooth and of a consistent crumb.
Put the cookies crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the melted butter, mix thoroughly. Once the crust ingredients are throughly mixed press the dough into the tart pan.
Cover the mixture in plastic wrap and give the crust a final “smoothing” with your hands. Chill the crust in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days.
Up to 3 hours before serving, one can finish making the tart. Cream together the crème fraîche or sour cream and the brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the crème is consistent in color.
Spoon the crème filling onto the crust and smooth it with a spatula.
Allow about a 1 inch margin of crust around the perimeter of the tart.
Place the strawberries on the creme and garnish with a few sprigs of mint or any fresh herb that suits you.
At this point the tart is ready to be served or it can be loosely covered with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours before serving.
To serve, free the base from the side of the tart pan, slice and enjoy!
Your guests will love you!
For a printable version of this recipe, click on the Foodista widget below.
I love the use of the Amaretti cookies for the crust. I’ve made something similar with blueberries and strawberries for the 4th of July.
Love the blog Emily!
-Melissa M.
It's also really good with peaches. Fun to see you this summer Melissa!
This looks delicious. I especially love that you used amaretti cookies for the crust. I will be bookmarking this one. Oh, I think I have a few extra strawberries in the fridge. Okay, dessert is solved for the weekend. Thank you! Enjoy your Thursday. =)
Yum! this definitely sounds like one to try, thanks for sharing!
Oh I love amaretti cookies! almond + peaches are one of my favorite combos. I like to put the cookies in a big ziplock bag before I roll them – keeps the crumbs from getting everywhere. yum!