Summer is definitely the time for local strawberries!
For me, strawberries are the perfect embodiment of summer, instantly conjuring up images of tennis at Wimbledon, picnics in the park and elegant garden parties. Strawberries are a very popular summertime fruit in my home. Their vibrant red hue and juicy sweetness are simply worth the wait to eat, local and only when in season. They are also easy to eat on the go as a snack, and very low in calories yet have a fantastic nutritional profile, so it’s a no-brainer in my book.
I am delighted to share this recipe with you as it takes strawberries to a completely new level, Strawberry and Mascarpone tarts with a touch of Limoncello. It’s a culinary adventure, as we combine the natural sweetness of strawberries with the creamy velvety luxury of mascarpone cheese and the invigorating zest of Limoncello liqueur. The combination is pure magic for the senses.
Have a go and send me pictures of your creations.
Ingredients for the Strawberry tarts :
- 4 sheets of filo pastry cut into 6 squares – making 24 squares
- 60g melted butter
- 40g icing sugar, sifted (20g for dusting the pastry and 20g for the filling)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 220g mascarpone cheese
- Grated zest of a big lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tbsp limoncello
Ingredients for the garnish :
- 400g Strawberries (½ for garnish and ½ to make a compote)
- Icing sugar for dusting
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc/gas mark 4 and brush 6 holes of a muffin tin with a little of the melted butter.
- Mix the cinnamon and icing sugar together.
- Now brush a sheet of filo with melted butter, sprinkle with some of the cinnamon and icing sugar mixture and place within the muffin cup, bedding the filo in, repeat three further times (4 sheets per muffin case) with a brushing of butter and a sprinkle of the cinnamon sugar on each sheet. Keep the filo sheets under a damp cloth whilst buttering and casing as they tend to dry out quickly.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, put the mascarpone, lemon zest, vanilla extract, limoncello and the remaining icing sugar into a medium bowl. Using a hand-held electric whisk, beat until smooth.
- Take half of the strawberries and slice them to garnish the tarts. Roughly chop the remaining strawberries, put them into a bowl and mash them until they are roughly puréed and the juices have been released. Set aside.
- Put the filo cups onto a serving platter and evenly spoon in the mascarpone mixture.
- Spoon a little of the compote over the top. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the mascarpone cream and sprinkle over a little icing sugar to serve.
We want to see your beautiful creations!
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This article is written by Kumud Gandhi – Food Scientist, nutritionist, writer & broadcaster. Kumud Gandhi is the science lead at The Cooking Academy and is a pioneer of science-based nutritional coaching to support people in achieving productivity and wellness through nutritional management. She leads the ‘Wellness in the Workplace‘ division at The Cooking Academy
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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