Country Strawberry Cream Cheese Tarts Food

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• For Crust: Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Place butter in mixer and beat with paddle until soft and light.
• Gradually beat in sugar.
• Beat 5-10 minutes until the mixture is very light and whitened.
• Mix flour in gradually until completely mixed. Don't over beat.
• Gather dough and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough, place a large spring form pan upside down in the middle of the dough and cut roughly ½ inch out from pan.
• Place cookie dough inside pan and bake for 15 minutes.
• Cream Cheese Filling: With wire whisk attachment beat soften cream cheese at highest speed until completely smooth and fluffy.
• Add sugar and vanilla.
• Beat for about 5 more minutes.
• Spread filling on crust, the crust does not have to be completely cooled.
• I start the filling when I pull the crust out of the oven.
• Now cover the top with sliced strawberries.
• Do not add sugar to the strawberries because it makes it to watery.
• Chill and serve!

MINI STRAWBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 8 (3 1/2-inch) round, 1-inch-deep mini fluted tart pans with removable rims, and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Process the flour, powdered sugar, and pistachios in a food processor until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute. Add the cubed butter to processor, and pulse 6 to 8 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press about 4 1/2 tablespoons of the flour mixture on bottom and up sides of each tart pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove tart pans to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
• Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and beat until well blended. Gently fold the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Spoon about 5 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into each tart shell. Cover tarts with plastic wrap, and chill 4 to 24 hours.
• Toss together the sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and spoon on tarts just before serving.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Mix in flour and salt until just combined. Gather into ball. Flatten into disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press sides in firmly; trim overhang. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Bake until golden brown, pressing any bubbles that form with back of fork, about 25 minutes. Remove crust from oven and cool.
• For filling:
• Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in remaining 2 cups milk, then next 3 ingredients. Add vanilla bean. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cream cheese, several cubes at a time, until melted. Strain warm filling through sieve into bowl; pour mixture into prepared crust. Refrigerate overnight.
• For topping:
• Place strawberries in medium bowl. Bring next 3 ingredients to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over berries and toss to coat. Let stand about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into colander to drain excess syrup.
• Mound berries atop tart, leaving 1-inch plain border. Garnish with herb sprigs, if desired.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Combine sugar, thawed strawberries, and any strawberry juice in a heavy pot over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil, being careful not to burn the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, 15 to 30 minutes. Place syrup in the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 24-cup mini muffin tins.
• Cut butter into flour until well mixed and granular. Mix in just enough water (1 tablespoon at a time) to make a dough.
• Roll dough on a floured working surface with a floured rolling pin until very thin and almost transparent. Use a large round cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Lightly press circles into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Meanwhile, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, and whipping cream together until well mixed.
• Fill each cooled pastry crust with cream cheese filling, then drizzle with strawberry syrup and garnish with mint leaves.

STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form (this may take up to 1 minute). Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.
• With floured fingers, press dough evenly into pan and up sides. Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan. Freeze crust until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. Cool completely in pan.
• Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth; spread mixture evenly in bottom of baked crust (still in tart pan).
• Starting from outside edge, arrange strawberry halves, stemmed side down, in tight concentric circles on cream cheese.
• In a small saucepan, heat jelly on medium-low until liquefied. Gently brush strawberries with jelly; let set at least 20 minutes. Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours); remove from pan just before serving.