I joined TWD right at the beginning of strawberry season – when the first flavorless strawberries started showing up in stores, and I bought them just because I was excited about warmer weather and everything that goes along with it. I was eager to make one strawberry dessert after another during their short season, but the TWD recipe-choosers haven’t been on that same wavelength. (Of course, not all of TWD’s members are in the Northern Hemisphere anyway.) I still bought strawberries each week, and every week they’re more flavorful than the last. The strawberry tart that Marie chose for this week’s recipe was a perfect way to showcase delicious seasonal strawberries.
I make only a portion of most TWD recipes, since I’m only cooking for myself and Dave, and my capacity to bake outstrips our capacity to eat. But I didn’t want to take pictures of yet another mini-tart. I actually don’t have a fluted 9-inch tart pan, but I’ve successfully used my 9-inch springform pan for tarts in the past.
Dorie calls this dessert “rustic in the extreme”, so I decided to play that up. A rustic tart has no need for fluted, or even neat, edges, so I just quickly pressed the dough into the pan. A number of people had problems with the crust being too hard, so I was careful to only lightly press the dough. It did, however, end up ever so slightly more rustic than I had intended…
Although the recipe sounds extraordinarily simple – crust, jam, strawberries, whipped cream – it really does add up to more than its parts. I was surprised by how much the jam added to the flavor of the tart. My crust seemed more tender than most people described theirs, so maybe lightly pressing it into the pan worked? (Scratch that – I just cut the crust into slices, and it was a crumbly crackly mess.) I haven’t tried sprinkling the strawberries with Dorie’s suggested black pepper, but after reading a few positive reviews on that method, I’m going to try it with tonight’s serving. Although strawberry shortcake isn’t going anywhere as my favorite strawberry-showcasing dessert, I’m looking forward to finishing up this tart throughout the week.
Dorie has discussed this dessert and provided the recipe on Serious Eats. I made the recipe without any changes, but in the future, I’d like another 1/8 teaspoon salt in the crust.
Love the photo of the cracked crust! Pile that sucka with strawberries! 😉
Looks great!! I think I’ll try my springform pan next time! I love the idea!!
w00t for springform pans! Thats what I did and I love the rustic look. Your first picture is amazing. That black plate really makes the red strawberries POP! Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought
I used mini springform pans too. I just love them. Your pics look great! I think I may try the black pepper tonight also.
I’m sorry it cracked. Good thing you could disguise it with lots of juicy strawberries and whipped cream!
That plating looks mighty fine. Love your crust.
Poor broken tart shell. 🙁 The end result looks great though!
Hahaha – definitely rustic:) Just hide it with strawberries, no one will ever know.
Great idea to use the springform. Too bad the crust broke though. I’m sure it tasted great all the same!
mmm.. this looks great. my crust held up ok on the outside but looked terrible inside. good thing i was covering it up!
I used my springform, too! Great job and I love the oopsie pictures. You can see my burnt first attempt on my blog. I showcase the mistakes proudly! Great job. 🙂
i love your black plate 😉
sorry it broke… but glad you like the flavor! i want to try the black pepper too.
great job! I like the rustic quality! (it tastes great too, yeah?!)
It’s hard to resist strawberries even when I know it’s too early in the season! Your tart looks perfect and the pictures are fabulous! Well done!
Looks great!
Ouch! I know the feeling… Except mine was a cake that split in two (thank goodness the ganache covered the mishap). I have a tart pan, so I just serve it on the base and minimize the risk of transfer 🙂
Beautiful tart! That set-up (plate included) in the first pic is just sexy 🙂
Beautiful photos! Your tart looks great, despite the broken crust. Nice that it is such an adaptable recipe.
Your photos look beautiful! Aren’t strawberries photogenic?!
I liked the sprinkle of black pepper on it. Great job!
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
Oh, wow, I love your pics… the red, white, and black look so striking together. Nice, job, it looks delish!
Flavorless strawberries, I know that, so the recipe came just right for the local strawberries, big and full of flavour. Great pictures!
I’m with you… this one was perfectly seasonal (in my part of the world) and W-A-Y more than the sum of its parts.
very rustic and nice 🙂 did you like the black pepper? i thought it was quite nice 🙂