strawberry tart

strawberries are such a pretty fruit. bright red and just sweet enough. 

i especially like the sunny luminosity they add to the table. 

this tart recipe combines a buttery, slightly salty, flaky crust with a sweet, gooey, glaze over luscious berries. i finished it with a dusting of grated walnuts and whipped cream, but a dollop of ice cream would also be good. if you make the pate brisee ahead, it comes together pretty quickly and sets up in about 1 hour.

pate brisee - makes two 10-inch tarts

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

directions

1. in the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. with the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. to test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. divide dough into two equal balls. flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
4. to pre-bake: heat the oven to 410 degrees. roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter, and line a 10" tart pan. prick it with a fork. line the dough with a disc of parchment paper and weigh it down with a smaller pie pan or pastry weights. bake about 15-20 min. until golden brown.

strawberry glaze

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
  
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbl. flour

directions

1. in a curved bottomed sauce pan whisk all of the ingredients on med high until the mixture starts to bubble.
2. reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick and shining.
3. line a 10" pre-baked tart shell with about 1 quart of strawberries.
4. pour the glaze over the strawberries and chill until set.

serve topped with finely grated walnuts and whipped cream.