One of my first food memories as a kid is picking strawberries. I grew up in South Florida where strawberry and tomato farms flourished (not to mention citrus groves as well). I remember long rows of strawberry plants and racing around picking as many as possible, at the same time shoving an equal amount into my mouth. Although I haven’t been strawberry picking in a long time, I still get excited when I start to see strawberries make their appearance at my local farmer’s market. So in honor of these gorgeous berries I thought I would share one of my favorite ways to eat them, on a tart with mascarpone cheese, honey and pistachios.
This seems to be my go-to desert, especially in the spring and summer when fruit is in season and is the perfect thing to eat when it is warm and sunny out. Any seasonal fruit would work but strawberries are always my favorite.
Another great part about this recipe is that the crust is a cinch – it is ground up pretzels with a little melted butter and brown sugar. That is all. Totally easy and totally delicious.
So the next time you see some gorgeous strawberries at the store or local market (or even pick them yourself) serve them in this easy tart that is perfect for the warmer weather that is headed our way. ~ Amanda
Mini Strawberry Tarts
Ingredients
1 1/4 sticks of butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (crushed in a food processor)
8 oz Mascarpone cheese
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 – 2 Tbs. honey
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint strawberries, stem removed and thinly sliced
2 Tbs. pistachios chopped
Garnish with mint and a drizzle of honey
Directions
1.) Preheat oven to 325°F.
2.) Lightly spray 6 4” tart shells with non-stick baking spray. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. (If you don’t have mini tart pans, this recipe will work in a 9” tart pan)
3.) In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar and remove from the heat. Add the pretzel crumbs and stir until combined—the mixture should look like wet sand. Divide the crumb mixture equally among the prepared tart pans. Using your fingers or the bottom of a small metal measuring cup, press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pans.
4.) Bake the tarts on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes then set aside to cool completely.
5.) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together mascarpone, lemon zest, honey, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Divide mascarpone mixture among tart pans. Top tarts with slices of strawberries, pistachios and mint.
Serves 6.
Recipe & Photos by Amanda Frederickson for Sacramento Street
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