Star Studded Berry Tarts Food

BERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Using a 4-in. round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles, rerolling scraps as necessary. Press circles onto bottoms and up sides of ungreased muffin cups., Mix sugar and cornstarch; toss with berries and lemon juice. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into each cup. Bake on a lower oven rack until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 24-26 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack; cool completely., For topping, beat cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl, mix lemon curd, sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon whipped cream; fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon over filling. If desired, top with fresh berries. Refrigerate until serving.

NANA'S CRESCENTS OR SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• With an electric mixer or by hand, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add vanilla and then stir in flour and chopped nuts until combined. Roll tablespoon-sized pieces of dough into crescent shapes. Repeat until no dough remains. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cookies are lightly golden.
• While cookies are in the oven, put 2 cups powdered sugar in a large resealable bag. Remove cookies from baking sheet and add them to the bag of powdered sugar. Carefully turn cookies in sugar while they are still hot. Remove cookies from bag and shake lightly to remove excess sugar.

STAR-SPANGLED FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Press cookie dough onto an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack., In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract until smooth. Spread over crust. In center of tart, arrange berries in the shape of a star; add a berry border. Refrigerate until serving.