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Kirkland Patch Food Guru Earns Sweet Victory With Her Strawberry Tart

The results are in and the Metropolitan Market Strawberry Showdown judges couldn't get enough of Julie Arnan's tasty tart.

 

LAST WEEK my friends and family came together for a common purpose: tart taste-testing. See, I was chosen as one of 10 contestants to compete in the first ever  Strawberry Showdown. Naturally, I wanted to win and that meant research.

A year ago, I posted an article complete with a recipe for one of my favorite summer desserts -- the . The crust is rich and crisp in a way that pie can never be. I knew that I wanted to build off that buttery foundation.

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The fresh strawberries posed a challenge. I’ve always baked the fruit along with the crust, but it seemed such a shame to cook the just-picked strawberries. That meant I needed to bake an unfilled crust and figure out how to dress up the berries in an enhancing but not overpowering way.

Ideas started to flow. I started with three variations before completely changing my mind the morning of the competition.

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First up was the basic: Bake the unfilled crust, press in a combination of ground pistachios and almonds as per the original recipe, fill with sliced berries tossed with a jam/cognac glaze, then top with berry halves to make it pretty. A final coating of the glaze sealed everything with a shiny top.

The second crust was also baked without any filling. I mentally split the interior in half, testing two different fillings. I had just returned with a pint of goat’s milk ricotta from a cheese making class at Dog Mountain Farm’s School of the Lost Arts. I mixed the ricotta with some sugar and lemon juice, then spread it on one half of the crust.

For the other half, I spread a mixture of very creamy sweetened mascarpone speckled with freshly scraped vanilla beans. Both halves were topped with strawberry halves and jam/cognac glaze.

All of my faithful taste-testers agreed that the strawberries went very well with something creamy. One friend loved the warm flavor of the nuts. Though he agreed about the cream, he didn’t like the overwhelming vanilla flavor or the gritty texture of the ricotta. Clearly, my work wasn’t done.

I puzzled about how to combine the best element together. I could make the original version of the tart and plop a dallop of whipped cream on top. But, that seemed so mundane. I needed to make it special. There were judges to wow.

Back at the drawing board, I just kept coming back to my favorite flavors with strawberries -- sweetened mascarpone and balsamic vinegar. Though I personally loved the layer of nuts in the crust, I decided to edit them out this time.

THE FINAL -- and I might add winning -- version of my strawberry tart went like this:

Crisply baked crust complete with homemade butter (that really impressed the judges) and lemon zest, a layer of mascarpone lightly sweetened with Shipwreck Honey and brightened with more lemon zest, then concentric circles of fresh strawberry quarters lightly macerated in sugar.

On top, I brushed a truly divine glaze. I strained off the juice released by the macerating strawberries and simmered it with more strawberry puree and my secret ingredient -- Seattle Olive Oil Co. strawberry balsamic vinegar. The dark syrupy liquid provided just enough tang. When the concoction came to a boil, I stirred in a little bit of sugar and let the glaze reduce for about 25 minutes.

I brushed the hot glaze on top of the tart about an hour before the judges took the winning bite. It was a beautiful creation. Good thing I made two! I finally got to taste it that night after dinner, breaking the oft repeated chef rule -- taste your food before serving it. Fortunately, victory always tastes sweet.

Here is the entire recipe.

Strawberry Tart with Mascarpone and Balsamic Glaze

 For the dough:

  • 2 c sifted flour
  • 3 TB sugar
  • ¾ c butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into pieces
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp grated lemon rind
  • 3 hard cooked egg yolks, mashed
  • 2 raw egg yolks

Preparation:

  1. Place the flour in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add all ingredients to the well. The butter should not be ice cold, nor so soft that it is oily.
  2. With your finger tips, make a paste of the center ingredients, gradually incorporating flour to form a smooth, firm ball of dough. Work quickly so the butter does not become oily. When the sides of the bowl are clean, the pastry is finished. Wrap it in wax paper and chill in the refrigerator until it is firm enough to roll.
  3. Roll the pastry between sheets of wax paper, loosening the paper as necessary. The dough should be just under ¼ inch in thickness. Use the paper to help invert the dough onto the tart pan, being careful not to stretch or tear the dough. Gently mold the dough to the pan. Set the paper across the top and roll over the edges to cut off the excess dough, which can be used as a lattice topping depending on the filling.
  4. Cover the tart pan with the paper and freeze for at least an hour before baking. (At this stage, you can tightly cover the pan and freeze it for another time if you wish. Frozen tart shells should not be thawed before baking.)
  5. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 and arrange a rack on the second to lowest rack. Prick the crust several times throughout baking to prevent puffy bubbles from forming. Bake 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

For the cream layer:

  • One 6 oz. tub of mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)
  • Grated zest from half a lemon
  • Enough sugar or honey to lightly sweeten -- varies depending on taste

Preparation:

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the ingredients and beat until fluffy and thoroughly mixed. Taste and add more sweetener if necessary.

For the strawberries:

  • 4 c fresh Northwest strawberries (like Shuksan), quartered
  • 3 TB sugar, more or less depending on the sweetness of the strawberries

Preparation:

  1. Wash, destem and quarter the strawberries. Combine them with the sugar in a bowl. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes.
  2. Strain the juice from the macerated berries and transfer to a small sauce pan.

For the glaze:

  • Juice from macerated berries
  • 1 c pureed berries
  • 2 TB Seattle Olive Oil Company strawberry balsamic vinegar
  • 3-4 TB granulated sugar

Preparation:

  1. Bring the juice, berries and balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Stir in the sugar and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 25 minutes. Be sure to stir it every five minutes to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

To assemble the tart:

  1. Allow the unfilled crust to cool completely after baking.
  2. Spread the mascarpone mixture on the tart with an offset spatula, creating a smooth even layer.
  3. Arrange the berries in a pleasing way. See photos for ideas.
  4. Use a pastry brush to gently cover the berries with the hot glaze. Refrigerate if not serving immediately. The crust will stay crisp for a couple of days.
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