Strawberry Shortbread Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla extract and orange peel in large bowl until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch-thick round. Using 3- to 3 1/4-inch cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet. Gather dough and reroll to 1/4-inch thickness; cut out more cookies. Bake until cookies are light brown at edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheet. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Whisk 1/2 cup currant jelly in small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Place 8 shortbread cookies on plates; brush generously with currant jelly (reserve remaining cookies for another use). Brush bottom of 1 strawberry with currant jelly; set strawberry, currant jelly side down, in center of 1 cookie. Brush bottom of more strawberries with currant jelly and arrange around center strawberry. Brush top of all strawberries with currant jelly to glaze. Repeat with remaining cookies and strawberries. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Steps:

• Make cookie crust:
• Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter a large baking sheet.
• Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, then beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until combined.
• Form dough into a disk and roll out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Peel off and discard top piece of parchment. Slide round (still on bottom piece of parchment) onto baking sheet. (Butter on sheet will help keep parchment in place.)
• Bake until round is firm to the touch and pale golden around edges, 12 to 16 minutes. Slide round on parchment onto a rack to cool completely.
• Make cream:
• Beat cream with sour cream, sugar, and vanilla using an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
• Assemble tart:
• Carefully slide cool tart from parchment onto a flat platter or cutting board. Gently spread dulce de leche onto crust (an offset spatula is helpful for this), taking care not to break crust. Spoon cream on top of dulce de leche and top with strawberries.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. , Shape into 1-in. balls; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. , Bake at 300° for 17-22 minutes or until set. Cool for 15 minutes before carefully removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Spoon 1 teaspoon of pie filling into each tart.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
• With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form (this may take up to 1 minute). Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.
• With floured fingers, press dough evenly into pan and up sides. Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan. Freeze crust until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. Cool completely in pan.
• Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth; spread mixture evenly in bottom of baked crust (still in tart pan).
• Starting from outside edge, arrange strawberry halves, stemmed side down, in tight concentric circles on cream cheese.
• In a small saucepan, heat jelly on medium-low until liquefied. Gently brush strawberries with jelly; let set at least 20 minutes. Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours); remove from pan just before serving.