Strawberry season will soon be upon us. Its not quite here yet. Normally I don't use strawberries much when they are out of season, preferring to enjoy them when they are grown locally.
I was having my father over for lunch however and so I wanted to make him a bit of a treat for lunch. I saw these berries at a good price at our local shops and thought he might enjoy some fresh strawberry tarts!
These are such a quick and simple make. You will be quite surprised actually at just how quickly they go together.
You use crisp flaky baked tart shells, which you then fill with a simple creamy filling. Finally they are topped with fresh berries and brushed with warm seedless strawberry jam to give them a bit of a glistening glimmer and sweetness!
These are actually so simple that you might be a bit embarrassed to serve them, but I say go ahead!!! Serve them!
The easiness with which they are prepared need only be our little secret, just between you and I. Nobody else needs to know how very easy to make they are! Shhh!!! Mum's the word!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTS
Its a simple list really. You may even have everything you need in the kitchen right now!
- fresh strawberries (the amount depends on the size of the berries
- 1 small package of cream cheese, at room temperature (85g or 3 ounces)
- 3 TBS sour cream
- 1 TBS icing sugar, sifted
- 6 crisp baked tartlet shells
- 2 TBS seedless strawberry jam, gently heated
These are actually much nicer when you have the smaller berries to make them with as you can place them into the tarts, tip sides up. Very pretty.
I had only largish berries to use today and so I sliced them. If you want really, really pretty pop a small whole berries in the center and then place larger slices around it them. They look just like a pretty flower!
I used Tenderflake brand frozen tart shells. I just thawed and baked them for 19 minutes at 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Use whatever brand shells you have available.
If you are really keen you can make your tart shells from scratch, but I was in a hurry so used the frozen and then baked them.
Use full fat ingredients . . . sour cream and cream cheese. I have never made these with lighter ingredients so I cannot say with any certainty that the filling will hold up otherwise.
Also you want seedless jam, not jam with the seeds in it. You could also use seedless raspberry if that is what you have. All you want is something that will give your tarts a pretty glimmer and glow!
You could finely grate some fresh lemon zest into the cream filling as well if you wanted to. Its all a matter of preference. For my dad I wanted to keep things simple.
HOW TO MAKE FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTS
Nothing really could be easier. These may be the simplest strawberry tarts you could ever make! First make the cream filling. Whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar until well blended. Divide this equally between the tart shells, smoothing it over.Wash and trim the berries. Pat dry.If your berries are large you will need to slice them. If they are small you can use them whole. Place them decoratively on top of the cream filling.Brush the tops of the tarts with the warmed jam. Refrigerate for several hours prior to serving.
The most difficult part of making these is waiting for them to set up. But once they are set, they are beautiful and incredibly delicious.
You could also use raspberries if you wanted to. Or even a mix of berries. Red and blue would be great for patriotic holidays along with that creamy white filling!
Almost like flag tarts!
I quite like making quick and easy tarts like this one. Some others that you might enjoy are:
MIXED BERRY AND CREAMY CUSTARD TARTS - Fresh berries in sweet tart shells along with a dollop of a rich and creamy custard filling.
BERRY CUTIE PIES - Little bite sized tarts with a sweet berry filling, topped with pastry hearts. Very pretty and really delicious.
These went down a real treat with dad. He never even noticed that there was cream cheese in the filling. (He says he doesn't like cream cheese.) Or if he did, he never said. He gobbled it up anyways with a nice pile of squirty cream on top!
I can hardly wait for the fresh local berries to be ripe. I miss our strawberries in the UK. In my opinion the UK has the best tasting strawberries on the planet. We used to grow our own in our garden and they were lovely.
Fresh and delicious with the warmth of the sun still upon their skin. A little taste of heaven on earth! I was truly spoilt!
Fresh Strawberry Tarts
Yield: 6Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 MThese are so simple and so tasty. People will think you slaved away for hours to make them. Little do they know . . . you cheated!Ingredients
- fresh strawberries (the amount depends on the size of the berries
- 1 small package of cream cheese, at room temperature (85g or 3 ounces)
- 3 TBS sour cream
- 1 TBS icing sugar, sifted
- 6 crisp baked tartlet shells
- 2 TBS seedless strawberry jam, gently heated
Instructions
- First make the cream filling. Whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar until well blended. Divide this equally between the tart shells, smoothing it over.
- Wash and trim the berries. Pat dry.
- If your berries are large you will need to slice them. If they are small you can use them whole. Place them decoratively on top of the cream filling.
- Brush the tops of the tarts with the warmed jam. Refrigerate for several hours prior to serving.
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