STRAWBERRY AND MASCARPONE TART

A crowd-pleaser extraordinaire and so easy to make. Light, crisp and with a blend of strawberries, mascarpone creaminess and raspberry jam, this is an excellent tart for a summer’s day. It is a sweet conclusion to a barbecue, or a treat to pack in a picnic. Of course, you can make your own pastry. However, you may prefer a shop-bought, prebaked case, in which case, if you have time, a little tip: place the pastry case in an oven preheated to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4 until it has achieved a golden biscuit colour. By baking it again, you give life back to the pastry, adding colour, texture and, ultimately, flavour. Small tartlet cases can also be used.

Preparation 10 minutes, plus chilling Serves 6-8

1 SHORTCRUST PASTRY CASE, PRECOOKED, ABOUT 20CM DIAMETER (SHOP-BOUGHT)

ICING SUGAR, FOR DUSTING

FOR THE FILLING

400G STRAWBERRIES

500G MASCARPONE

50ML DOUBLE CREAM

1 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE OR YOU CAN USE VANILLA ESSENCE

½ LEMON

200G RASPBERRY JAM, PREFERABLY SEEDLESS

1 Wash and hull the strawberries. In a large bowl, mix the mascarpone, double cream and vanilla bean paste and add the zest of the lemon half. Put aside.

2 Spread the raspberry jam onto the base of the pastry case. Spoon half the mascarpone mixture over the top and spread over the tart – don’t worry if it mixes with the jam. Now spread the rest of the mascarpone mixture on top. (Use a piping bag if you prefer.)

3 Next, the decoration of this summer tart. How should you cut the strawberries for the top? You can try slices, halves or quarters. Or if you have lots of small strawberries, leave them whole and stand them upright.

4 Once you have decorated the tart, and if you have time, transfer it to the fridge for up to 1 hour. Chilling the filling means neat slicing. Remove from the fridge, dust with icing sugar and serve.