I had intended this to be a recipe for cooking with kids. I prepped the kitchen, bought easy-to-use ingredients, layed everything out in the kitchen ready for the girls to help me out... and then they showed no interest at all and instead demanded that I let them play in the garden. Hmph.
This recipe was inspired by a huuuge bilboard outside my local supermarket which was advertising a Luxury Strawberry and Cream Tart (ready-made, of course!) and having seen the photo I decided I simply had to try and reproduce it. I used ready rolled unsweetened short crust pastry (mainly because I had been planning on the girls making this with me!) and the mixture of the incredibly sweet topping, slightly cheesy filling and savoury pastry base worked incredibly well. This is a beautifully balanced dessert with lots of different textures and I was REALLY impressed with how even, thin and crisp the pastry was... there is absolutely no way I would have managed this recipe so elegantly if I had made the pastry myself.
GLAZED STRAWBERRY & CREAM CHEESE TART RECIPE (Serves 6)
INGREDIENTS
1 pack 320g Jus-Rol Shortcrust Ready Rolled Pastry
2 200g packs of full-fat soft cream cheese
200ml double cream
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 sachet red Quick Jel (with an additional 25g granulated sugar)
400g fresh strawberries
METHOD
1. Unwrap the shortcrust pastry about 30 minutes before use and pre-heat the oven to around 200 degrees centigrade.
2. Grease a 20cm flan dish (I used a silicone one to make it easy to remove after cooking) and place the pastry sheet over it, pressing gently into the sides. My sheet of pastry only just fitted in and I could have done with another centimetre or two at the edges. Trim the edges roughly (the pastry will shrink and change shape as it cooks so don't try to tidy it up now as it isn't worth the effort).
3. Place a piece of foil into the pastry flan and add baking beans to ensure the pastry doesn't rise and to create an even bake. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden all over.
4. Allow to cool fully before removing from the flan case.
5. Using a food processor, whip the double cream until it is thick and fluffy.
6. Using a wooden spoon, roughly beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla extract to soften it up a bit. Gently mix in the whipped cream so that the cheese and cream are fully blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled flan case and use a spatula to spread it carefully to the edges and flatten it on top.
7. Chill the flan in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to harden.
8. Prepare the fresh strawberries. Don't wash the strawberries! Instead, wipe each of them clean with a moistened kitchen towel and pat dry - this way the strawberries will remain firm when you place them on the flan.
9. Top and slice the strawberries lengthways and lay them in a circular pattern from the outside of the flan, inwards. Chill for at least 10 minutes.
10. Make the Quick Jel according to the instructions on the packet (using water and the added sugar). Stir frequently as it cools to make sure there are no big bubbles in the jelly.
11.After about 10 minutes it will be just beginning to set and will be cool enough to drizzle over the fresh fruit on top of the flan. Use small spoon and ensure that you cover as many of the strawberries as possible to help the fruit on the flan stay fresh. Place in the fridge for another 20 minutes before serving.
12. Once cooled, I trimmed away any drizzles of jelly that had escaped over the edge of the flan. I also sprinkled on a tiny touch of icing sugar to help it glisten.
13. Devour.
 |
| Glazed Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart |
This recipe was inspired by a huuuge bilboard outside my local supermarket which was advertising a Luxury Strawberry and Cream Tart (ready-made, of course!) and having seen the photo I decided I simply had to try and reproduce it. I used ready rolled unsweetened short crust pastry (mainly because I had been planning on the girls making this with me!) and the mixture of the incredibly sweet topping, slightly cheesy filling and savoury pastry base worked incredibly well. This is a beautifully balanced dessert with lots of different textures and I was REALLY impressed with how even, thin and crisp the pastry was... there is absolutely no way I would have managed this recipe so elegantly if I had made the pastry myself.
GLAZED STRAWBERRY & CREAM CHEESE TART RECIPE (Serves 6)
INGREDIENTS
1 pack 320g Jus-Rol Shortcrust Ready Rolled Pastry
2 200g packs of full-fat soft cream cheese
200ml double cream
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 sachet red Quick Jel (with an additional 25g granulated sugar)
400g fresh strawberries
METHOD
1. Unwrap the shortcrust pastry about 30 minutes before use and pre-heat the oven to around 200 degrees centigrade.
2. Grease a 20cm flan dish (I used a silicone one to make it easy to remove after cooking) and place the pastry sheet over it, pressing gently into the sides. My sheet of pastry only just fitted in and I could have done with another centimetre or two at the edges. Trim the edges roughly (the pastry will shrink and change shape as it cooks so don't try to tidy it up now as it isn't worth the effort).
3. Place a piece of foil into the pastry flan and add baking beans to ensure the pastry doesn't rise and to create an even bake. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden all over.
4. Allow to cool fully before removing from the flan case.
5. Using a food processor, whip the double cream until it is thick and fluffy.
6. Using a wooden spoon, roughly beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla extract to soften it up a bit. Gently mix in the whipped cream so that the cheese and cream are fully blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled flan case and use a spatula to spread it carefully to the edges and flatten it on top.
7. Chill the flan in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to harden.
8. Prepare the fresh strawberries. Don't wash the strawberries! Instead, wipe each of them clean with a moistened kitchen towel and pat dry - this way the strawberries will remain firm when you place them on the flan.
9. Top and slice the strawberries lengthways and lay them in a circular pattern from the outside of the flan, inwards. Chill for at least 10 minutes.
10. Make the Quick Jel according to the instructions on the packet (using water and the added sugar). Stir frequently as it cools to make sure there are no big bubbles in the jelly.
11.After about 10 minutes it will be just beginning to set and will be cool enough to drizzle over the fresh fruit on top of the flan. Use small spoon and ensure that you cover as many of the strawberries as possible to help the fruit on the flan stay fresh. Place in the fridge for another 20 minutes before serving.
12. Once cooled, I trimmed away any drizzles of jelly that had escaped over the edge of the flan. I also sprinkled on a tiny touch of icing sugar to help it glisten.
13. Devour.
 |
| Glazed Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart |
