Description
Delicate strawberry mascarpone tartlets with lemon curd dance between sweet and tangy, offering a sublime French-inspired dessert. Crisp pastry shells cradle silky mascarpone and zesty lemon curd, inviting you to savor each delightful bite of this elegant summer treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1.5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 cup heavy cream
Sweeteners and Sugars:
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Fats and Additional Ingredients:
- 0.5 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2–3 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, blending until uniform. Incorporate cold butter, pulsing until the mixture transforms into grainy, uneven fragments.
- Introduce egg yolk and process briefly. Drizzle ice water gradually, mixing until the dough coheres into a loose, malleable mass.
- Encase the pastry in plastic film and chill within the refrigerator for a minimum of half an hour, allowing gluten to relax and butter to solidify.
- Heat the oven to 350F (175C). On a lightly dusted surface, roll the chilled dough thinly. Carefully cut circles matching tartlet pan dimensions.
- Gently press dough into each pan’s contours, trimming overhanging edges with precision. Create small perforations across the base to prevent uneven rising.
- Shield the raw crusts with parchment paper, then fill with ceramic weights to prevent swelling during initial baking phase.
- Blind bake for 12-15 minutes until edges turn pale golden. Remove weights and parchment, then return to oven for an additional 5 minutes until fully crisp and amber-hued.
- Allow tartlet shells to cool completely on a wire rack, ensuring a crisp, sturdy foundation for subsequent filling.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent shrinkage and ensure a flaky, tender crust that holds its shape perfectly in the tartlet pans.
- When blind baking, use ceramic pie weights or dried beans to maintain the tartlet shell’s structure and prevent bubbling during baking.
- For a gluten-free version, swap traditional flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to accommodate dietary restrictions without compromising texture.
- Carefully handle the delicate pastry shells to prevent cracking, using gentle pressure when pressing dough into tartlet pans and removing from molds.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 319
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 93 mg