Best Puff Pastry Tarts With St Andre Cheese And Balsamic Strawberries Recipes

PUFF PASTRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with nonstick cooking spray.;
• Sprinkle the cutting board with flour. Roll-out the creases.;
• Unfold the pastry onto parchment paper. Using a fork, pierce a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the puff pastry. Prick the center of the pastry as well, about 10 times all over.
• Arrange the fruit, nuts, and cheese on top of the pastry in a uniform manner, avoiding the border. Brush the fruit with the melted butter and top with the cinnamon and sugar. Bake 15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and beginning to puff.
• If desired, brush the honey over the fruit and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
• Puff Pastry Variations:
• Apricot Plum Tart: Cut 2 plums and apricots into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange on top of puff pastry and brush with melted apricot preserves rather than honey.
• Rhubarb Tart: Thinly slice 8-ounces rhubarb stalks on the diagonal and marinate in 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar for 10 minutes. Strain the rhubarb, reserving the juices. Arrange the rhubarb slices on top of the puff pastry. Sprinkle with white sugar. While the pastry bakes, reduce the rhubarb juices until it becomes a syrupy glaze. When the pastry finishes, brush the pastry with the glaze.
• Pear, Pecan and Blue Cheese Tart: Slice 3 cups Bartlett pears and place on the puff pastry. Top with 1/2 cup chopped pecans. After brushing on the honey, top with 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles.

STRAWBERRY (OR ANY BERRY REALLY) PUFF PASTRY BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and sour cream in a small bowl until fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and whip until well combined, making sure there are no lumps. Reserve for later use.
• Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl with a fork.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured flat surface. Roll the pastry into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture lengthwise down the center of the pastry. Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry rectangle within 1/2 inch of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange half of the strawberries down the center of the pastry on top of the cream cheese mixture. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the strawberries on a diagonal, alternating sides, to cover the strawberries. Repeat the entire process with the remaining pastry sheet, cream cheese filling and strawberries. Brush the pastries very lightly with the egg wash (otherwise they won't rise). Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and top with pistachios.
• Bake until golden brown, 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving.

SAVORY STRAWBERRY TART

Steps:

• For the tart crust: Put the flour, sugar and salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until the chunks of butter are broken down to the size of peas and the flour feels like wet sand. You can also combine quickly using your fingertips. Add 1/4 cup of the ice water and pulse until the dough comes together easily. If it immediately separates into clumps, add 2 tablespoons of the remaining water at a time. You can always add more water but not more flour, so be careful not to add too much!
• Divide the dough into 2 balls and set them on top of 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Loosely wrap up each ball and press down to flatten into a 1-inch-thick disk.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using (see Cook's Note).
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roll out 1 dough disk (see Cook's Note) on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick and lay over a 9-inch tart pan. Gently press the dough into the pan, careful not to stretch or rip it (you can patch holes with excess dough). Prick the dough with a fork, cover the pan with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the beans or weights and the parchment, and finish baking until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Set the tart shell aside to cool completely.
• For the filling: Whip the crème fraîche, goat cheese, salt and pepper together in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and light. Spread into the cooled tart crust and top with the strawberries around the edges. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with the chives. This tart is best the same day it's made.