I love the idea of my very own little tart, especially when it's packed with luscious sweet local strawberries! The key word here is local, meaning prize winning juicy, ruby red berries that are dripping with a sugary shine, whose short season make them a valuable culinary commodity!
For some reason I seem to only make pies in the summer time. Actually, I have one main pie that I bake and that's my Peach Schnapps Peach Pie. This is my grandmother's recipe, juiced up a bit :) That one only occurs when I can get my hands on succulent, drip down your chin, seasonal peaches. And these strawberry tarts have the same requirement for me. Pungo strawberries that are at their peak between May and June.
Truley an example of cooking farm to table and eating from the fresh local harvest. The first time I made the tarts and took these photos I didn't bake the crust any first. It doesn't bake quite enough on the bottom without pre-baking for 12 minutes.
Depending on what part of the globe you're reading this post from, you may be able to get tasty little berries all year or for a longer season. I'm a bit of a strawberry snob :) So even though you're adding sugar and a sweet tequila liqueur, start with the best berries you can find!
Crafting your own pie crust is more than following a recipe. I've concluded that you have to learn to feel when the dough is right. When there is enough liquid to bring it all together. Because too much will cause it to steam, yep discovered that the hard way. Too little and you end up with a crumbly excuse for a crust. Perfecting my homemade pie crust skills is definitely on my culinary to-do list. More to come on that.
Harris Teeter grocery stores are the only place I've been able to locate these little shells, which are essentially mini pie crusts. They are Dutch Ann, fantastic flavor and so cute! Walmart sometimes carries them. An online search in your area should help you to find them.
I like sizable, sugary, slightly crisp crumbs on my fruit pastries better than the very fine texture that some butter, flour and spice recipes provide.
My grandmother used to make an apple and a cherry crunch type of pie in a 9 x 13 dish (yes, here's another nod to grandma :) I think the recipe came off the back of the Duncan Hines box. She used this simple recipe for her topping and I've always loved it!
Just butter and cake mix is the perfect topping.
Ingredients For Topping
1 stick unsalted butter
1 Duncan Hines all butter cake mix
Ingredients For Tarts
1 Dutch Ann frozen tart shell package (8 tart shells)
5 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
3 tablsespoons Tequila Rose liqueur
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh basil (I've used purple or green)
Directions For Topping
Melt butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Remove from heat and pour cake mix into pan. Stir until cake mix is fully incorporated into butter. Cool before adding topping to strawberries.
Directions For Tarts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tart shells on a baking sheet. Carefully prick the bottoms and sides with a fork. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling.
Combine strawberries and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Blend well. Spoon into tart shells. Using your fingers, dot the topping onto the strawberry filling. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
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