Recipe Fridays!

Strawberry Tarts with Cream
from Martha Stewart Living July 2009

What better way to celebrate the arrival of Summer than with a fresh strawberry tart? I picked up three pints of strawberries yesterday at the Farmer's Market in preparation, and whipped this up last night. The crust is not my favorite, I'll be honest; it's a shortbread-like base that was very soft and hard to deal with. I ended up putting it straight in the pan and spreading it out with my fingers because rolling it was problematic. Other than that, however, it went very easily. Make this for your next garden party; lovely and amazing;)

Ingredients
Makes 2; serves 8

· 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
· 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)
· 2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
· 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 3 pints (6 cups) strawberries, hulled
· 3 cups strawberry preserves (two 12-ounce jars)
· 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add yolks, and beat until just incorporated. Add flour and salt, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
2. Roll out each disk into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Fit each round into the bottoms and up the sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the bottoms of dough with a fork, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush crusts with egg wash. Bake, pressing down crusts if they start to bubble, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, and remove from pans.
4. Trim strawberries to about the same height. Heat preserves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until loose. Strain through a fine sieve. You will have about 1 cup of solids. Spread 1/2 cup solids over bottom of each tart. Arrange strawberries in a single layer over the top, placing cut sides down. Brush strawberries with just enough warm glaze to make berries shiny. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.
5. Beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar just until thickened. Cut each tart into quarters, and serve slices topped with whipped cream.