Strawberry Tart

I made this dessert to go along with the Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce that I made for my in-laws. The end result was very light tasting dessert that was just sweet enough to put a sweet tooth into hiding. My father in law went for seconds and my husband had to tie his hands behind his back so he would not go and get seconds for himself.


My modifications: I tried to cut out as much sugar as I could within the recipe (my changes are noted within the recipe in italics and blue lettering) and I also had to make a change with the amount of strawberries since I only had half of what the recipe called for. I pureed 1 cup in the food processor for the glaze and then sliced the remaining and placed them on the tart in a circular pattern. With doing it the way I did I should have put the glaze over the cream cheese filling and then placed the strawberries on top of that but I did it backwards so it does not look as pretty. Also my crust did not stay together well so I would recommend adding another tablespoon or so of butter to the crumbs.


Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart
(Source: Cooking Light)

Ingredients
Crust:
36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 teaspoons water
Cooking spray

Filling:
2/3 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar (1/8 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/4 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (1/8 tsp)

Topping:
6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided (3 cups)
2/3 cup sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (1/2 tbls)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 tbls)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (Oops, I forgot)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°

To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.

To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate.