Strawberries + Cheesecake = A Delicious Tart

It’s strawberry season! Delicious, sweet, fragrant red berries are ready to enjoy. Whether you pick your own or purchase them at the farmers’ market or grocery store, now is the time to indulge. Strawberries are one of my very favorite fruits. And, one of my favorite summer time treats is my mom’s fresh strawberry glace pie – just strawberries and a glaze made from strawberries - yum. For some, glace pie is a little boring or plain. So why not pair strawberries with another favorite dessert, like cheesecake?

That’s just what Strawberry Cheesecake Tart delivers – the best of both worlds – fresh strawberries in a light glaze served over a luscious cream cheese base in a butter cookie crust. It’s simply scrumptious and beautiful too. Strawberry Cheesecake Tart makes a wonderful dessert for summer entertaining. Be sure to show your family and friends the entire tart for the “wow” effect. Then slice and serve – they may even ask for seconds.

The cheesecake portion of this dessert needs to be made ahead so it can cool and firm up in the fridge. Just before serving adorn the cheesecake with strawberries and finish with a little drizzle of melted strawberry jam – a quick and easy way to glaze. Then enjoy!

Get started by making the crust. Heat the oven to 400°F. Combine the butter and sugar in a small bowl and beat until creamy. Add the flour, milk and almond extract. Beat on low speed until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball of dough.

Press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10” tart pan.

Prick the crust all over with a fork. This will help prevent air pockets from forming and creating an uneven crust. And it’s kind of fun, too.

Bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until it is light golden brown. Let it cool completely.

Once the crust is cooled it’s time to make the cheesecake filling. Just combine all the filling ingredients (whipping cream, cheesecake flavored instant pudding and pie filling mix and softened cream cheese) in a medium bowl. Beat at medium speed until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Spread the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust.

It's starting to look good already, isn't it?

Cover with plastic food wrap and refrigerate at least one hour so the filling can set up.

Meanwhile, slice the strawberries. I like to do this as close to the time I will be serving dessert as possible, that way they are nice and fresh. If I’m entertaining, I slice them right before my guests arrive and store them in the fridge until I’m ready to serve dessert. Then, just before serving, arrange the strawberries over the filling.

Now carefully melt the strawberry jam. A small pan over low heat works well (as does the microwave). Just watch the jam carefully so it doesn’t get too hot – it should just be melted so it’s slightly soft and “brushable.” Brush the melted jam over the strawberries.

The tart is ready to serve. Show it off – isn’t it stunning?

Now, slice and enjoy your Strawberry Cheesecake Tart - a delicious taste of summer.

Feel free to be creative and try different summer fruits. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced peaches – any of these will work beautifully. Just brush with jam of the same fruit. Come back and let me know what you thought of the recipe. I’d enjoy hearing what fruit you tried, too.