Simply Delicious Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: April 20, 2012

With spring in full bloom comes wonderfully fragrant and sweet strawberries.  What better way to celebrate this seasonal fruit than with this simple yet delicious strawberry and cream cheese tart.  A homemade buttery crust is filled with cream cheese, sugar, strawberry preserves, and fresh strawberries.  This recipe only requires a few ingredients so you really want to use the best strawberries you can find to really highlight that fruity flavor.  This strawberry and cream cheese tart is the perfect example of sensational seasonal baking.
Strawberry Tart
Ingredients:
The Crust:
	1 1/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
 
The Filling
1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
1/8 cup seedless strawberry jam
 
Directions:
 





The Method:


   
This one is pretty easy, so lets roll up the sleeves and get bakin'.


   
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the wheat flour, softened butter (save the wrapper), sugar, and sea salt in a bowl for a few minutes. Once it starts to lightly clump, pull out a 9 inch round tart pan. If it has a removable bottom, double bonus -- this will make it easier to pull out later.


   
Using the saved butter wrapper, grease the inside of the pan. Then take half of the crust mix and with a large spoon, begin to press against the sides of the tart pan. Pour in the remainder of the crust mix and continue the process with the bottom of the pan. Put the crust in the freezer for about fifteen minutes.


   
Pull the crust out of the freezer and use a fork to poke holes into it. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. After that time, pull it out and if the crust is puffing slightly, its good to go. If not, put it back in for another five minutes. Pull it out and set aside to cool.


   
Next up is the glorious filling. In a mixing bowl, but the softened cream cheese and sugar in. Mix thoroughly. Using a spatula, pour the filling on the crust and smooth it out.


   
Pull out the strawberries and with a paring knife, hull and halve the pieces. Place them in a circle pattern on top of the cream cheese.


   
In a little pan, pour in the jelly and put it on low heat. Once it starts to becomes more like liquid, use a pastry brush and go over the strawberries so it has that lovely glazed look. Put the tart in the refrigerator for at least an hour (waiting any longer is a sin).


   
Pull out the strawberry tart from the pan and serve to your happy guests. Or perhaps gobble it up yourself -- not that I would every do anything like that.

The Method:


     
This one is pretty easy, so lets roll up the sleeves and get bakin'.


     
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the wheat flour, softened butter (save the wrapper), sugar, and sea salt in a bowl for a few minutes. Once it starts to lightly clump, pull out a 9 inch round tart pan. If it has a removable bottom, double bonus -- this will make it easier to pull out later.


     
Using the saved butter wrapper, grease the inside of the pan. Then take half of the crust mix and with a large spoon, begin to press against the sides of the tart pan. Pour in the remainder of the crust mix and continue the process with the bottom of the pan. Put the crust in the freezer for about fifteen minutes.


     
Pull the crust out of the freezer and use a fork to poke holes into it. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. After that time, pull it out and if the crust is puffing slightly, its good to go. If not, put it back in for another five minutes. Pull it out and set aside to cool.


     
Next up is the glorious filling. In a mixing bowl, but the softened cream cheese and sugar in. Mix thoroughly. Using a spatula, pour the filling on the crust and smooth it out.


     
Pull out the strawberries and with a paring knife, hull and halve the pieces. Place them in a circle pattern on top of the cream cheese.


     
In a little pan, pour in the jelly and put it on low heat. Once it starts to becomes more like liquid, use a pastry brush and go over the strawberries so it has that lovely glazed look. Put the tart in the refrigerator for at least an hour (waiting any longer is a sin).


     
Pull out the strawberry tart from the pan and serve to your happy guests. Or perhaps gobble it up yourself -- not that I would every do anything like that.