Make Ahead

Strawberry-Mascarpone Tart

by:
August 26, 2009
3
4 Ratings
Strawberry-Mascarpone Tart
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

This tart lends itself to adaptation. Try nectarines, blackberries, plums, or peaches instead of strawberries. Just make sure the fruit is delicious! You could also use grappa or vin santo in place of the rum. —eeshani

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: eeshani is a graduate student from Champaign, Illinois.
WHAT: The show-stopping dessert to make all summer long.
HOW: Whip up the dough in a food processor, freeze it, bake it, and fill with your mascarpone mixture. Garnish it with fresh strawberries, and admire it.
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you're craving pies or tarts this summer, this recipe is the closest thing you'll get to no-bake; the filling and topping are cool, making it a joy to eat in the dog days of summer. As eeshani says, this tart lends itself to endless adaptation; feel free to riff on the fruit and the alcohol.
—The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Crust
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • Filling
  • 1 quart strawberries
  • 8 ounces chilled mascarpone
  • 1 tablespoon rum
  • 1/4 cup vanilla sugar (can substitute plain sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 sprig mint (optional)
Directions
  1. For the crust: Combine the egg yolk and cream. In a food processor, pulse together the butter, sugar, salt, and flour until you have something that resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, pour in the egg yolk and cream. Process until the dough comes together in a ball around the blade.
  2. Remove dough from the processor bowl. Bring together into a ball quickly. Press into an 8-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan. Pierce lightly with fork all over the crust. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminium foil and cover the tart pan tightly. Freeze for at least two hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the tart pan (on a baking sheet) for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely.
  4. Wash and pat dry strawberries. Next, hull and slice them. Combine the sliced strawberries with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
  5. While the crust is in the oven, start on the filling. Combine the mascarpone, rum, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk until glossy. (NOTE: the filling may separate if the mascarpone is not chilled so work quickly.) Taste and adjust sugar if necessary. Chill the filling while the crust cools.
  6. When the crust has cooled completely, spread the filling over it using a rubber spatula. Next, arrange the sliced strawberries over the the filling. Garnish with mint, if using. Return assembled tart to fridge if not serving immediately. Tart is best eaten the day it is made.
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20 Reviews

Nicole O.
Nicole O. December 26, 2020
Tried making this for Christmas, and the filling never set after hours in the refrigerator. I didn't end up serving it because it was so runny. Not sure where I went wrong.
 
Peggy G.
Peggy G. May 17, 2017
This should be added to the recipe:
I checked the tart crust recipe against the Pie and Pastry Bible. It was exactly the same except for the missing sugar, so for those left wondering, the crust should have 1/4 cup sugar!
 
Chelsey1818
Chelsey1818 August 21, 2016
Loved this! Added 1/4 cup sugar to crust per previous comments. I used white rum, but would use a darker rum next time. It was a huge hit and turned out gorgeous! Next time I'm going to use limoncello and blueberries! :)
 
Lusty D.
Lusty D. June 17, 2016
Does anyone think Almond Flour might work in the crust?
 
lsgerman
lsgerman June 18, 2016
I've made this with a gluten free crust but I typically use several different types of flours not just Almond. My ratios would be 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour; 1/2 cup Almond flour and 1/2 cup white rice flour. Then I do a blind bake of the crust, with weights (I've always used a mixture of dried beans and rice instead of weights). The gluten free dough is really difficult to roll out and work with. Best tip I have is to get it really cold and work really fast! And don't forget to butter your foil against the dough during the blind bake (I've learned from that mistake). Good luck.
 
lsgerman
lsgerman June 18, 2016
Just remembered that the ingredients list here doesn't list the sugar quantity. I think I add a couple of tablespoons.
 
Musebe
Musebe June 29, 2014
Argh! I don't have mascarpone on hand would it be a sacrilege if I used creme fraiche instead?
 
Jenna
Jenna June 11, 2014
I made this for a group of friends last night (with the addition of 1/4 cup of sugar in the crust - thanks Karen!!). I cook for friends a lot, and this was by far the most complimented thing I have ever made. Everyone loved it - and the best part for me was that it was so easy to make!
 
iKitty
iKitty May 11, 2014
This recipe was amazing! Easily doubled. I did add the pie weights in the first 15 minutes of baking.
 
Eileen B.
Eileen B. April 9, 2014
Many thanks Karen. Perhaps I should acquire that Pie and Pastry Bible for myself.
 
Karen
Karen April 9, 2014
Confused by the missing ingredients, I checked the tart crust recipe against the Pie and Pastry Bible. It was exactly the same except for the missing sugar, so for those left wondering, the crust should have 1/4 cup sugar!
 
lsgerman
lsgerman March 11, 2014
Help, everyone is still wondering about the sugar in this recipe! Have we missed something?
 
Eileen B.
Eileen B. October 30, 2013
I do love the idea of the limoncello, and blueberries.
 
Eileen B.
Eileen B. October 30, 2013
After 2 months...are Mike and I the only dummies? Still wondering. How much sugar in the crust? "pulse together the butter, the sugar, salt and flour...pour in egg yolk and cream" How much sugar?
 
David
David October 30, 2013
A variation on a theme...fresh blueberries on top...rum does not work with blueberries...lemon & blueberries work great with each other so I used limoncello in the mascarpone cream instead of rum.A bright fresh flavour!
 
Eileen B.
Eileen B. August 30, 2013
I agree with Mike. How much sugar in the crust.
Recipe is my kind of dessert. I am thinking mango.....
 
dymnyno
dymnyno July 18, 2013
Very beautiful. It looks like it will taste of poetry.
 
Mike L.
Mike L. July 18, 2013
Please reconcile your ingredient list and recipe specific to amount of sugar in the crust. Thanks.
 
iKitty
iKitty July 17, 2013
There's no need to put some weights on the pie right? It looks so easy to make! :)
 
JanetFL
JanetFL July 17, 2013
Very summery! Love that mascarpone is used in this dessert and that it's adaptable for any type of fruit. Thank you!