Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart

I think spring is on it's way guys (or maybe we were catapulted into summer?).  I hope your weather has been as nice as it has been here in Chicago!  We have tulips coming up, trees budding, and sunshine...now that's revitalizing!  Lady and I have enjoyed a few late afternoon/early evening walks together, and with the time change, it's allowing me to get a bit of sunshine.  Amazing how therapeutic some fresh air and sun can be after a long day in the recycled hospital air!

What's more spring-like  than a nice tart with strawberries?  I made this for a little friend get-together we had last weekend, and it got rave reviews.  It's a shortbread crust that is really more like a sugar cookie (you could probably use refrigerated sugar cookie dough in the bottom of the tart pan if you wanted), a chocolate ganache that never really gets super hard, a sweet cream cheese layer, topped with big slices of strawberries.  Oh yes.

The chocolate ganache base...yum!

It has a few steps, but they really aren't that bad.  You can make the crust and refrigerate the dough, and just roll and bake the day you are going to use it.  I made the cream cheese filling a bit in advance too.  After that, it's just assembly!  It keeps pretty well for the next few days, but I'd recommend doing your "main serving" the day you make it.


Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart

For the crust
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup AP flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small cubes

For the ganache
1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used semisweet)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter at room temp

For the filling:
8 oz fat free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp cream
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, if desired
Strawberries for topping (1 16oz container)

To make the tart shell, whisk together egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and combine.  Add butter pieces and process to cut the butter into the flour mixture, about 15 1 second pulses.  With machine running, add egg mixture and process until dough comes together.  Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, press dough into disc, wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Remove dough from refrigerator (let it become pliable again).  Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a 13 inch round.  Transfer dough into a 9 inch tart pan, and mold dough to the sides of the pan.  Remove the excess from the top.  Place tart pan in freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 375F.  Remove pie dough from freezer and cover dough/tart pan with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes, rotating half way through bakign time.  Remove from oven, take off foil, and bake for 5-8 minutes more until golden brown.  Remove to cool.

To make ganache, place cream in a small saucepan and heat cream until simmering.  Pour over chocolate (in a heatproof bowl).  Let cream melt chocolate, then stir vigorously until combined.  Add butter and stir until combined.  Spread ganache in a thin layer in the bottom of the cooled tart shell and allow ganache to set before proceeding (you can refrigerate it).

To make filling, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.  Blend in vanilla and cream.  Add vanilla bean seeds.  Spread cream cheese mixture carefully over cooled ganache in the tart shell.

Decorate the top with the sliced strawberries, making concentric circles.  Chill until ready to serve.