I think we are all aware dessert is not my specialty – but I am happy to report that this “wang-dang” – what my friend Laura refers to as any dish you kind of make up as you go along – turned out pretty fab!

We all went to the farmers market where I saw these Strawberries and I SWOONED. They looked so fresh and SO very berry red!

I noticed that the fruit came from a small town near where I grew up (in St. Joseph, MI) – so in making conversation I said, “Oh! I’m from St. Joe originally” – to which the woman working the booth made an intense stink face that lasted the entire transaction and said “So what are you doing here? I sure couldn’t live here.”

Um.

So that was weird. I think I just said, “Oh, well I love it here, been here 20 years!” She didn’t seem to have an issue taking Chi-town money, so maybe she’ll come around. 😉

N-E-Ways, I knew right away I wanted to use these berries to make a pie or tart of some kind and remembered the easy rustic tart by Jacques Pépin that I used last fall for an apple tart, and thought it’d probably work here too – and it DID!

Do you all have any favorite strawberry recipes? I’m kind of on a kick lately, so let me know in comments below!

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients
2 quarts of sliced strawberries with stems removed, (better if from farmer’s market!)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbs all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
plus 2 tbs melted butter
1/3 cup ice water
1 1/2 tbs sugar

First, to macerate the berries (I had to look that up), place them in a large bowl with the sugar. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. Next combine the 1/4 cup warm water and cornstarch and stir until well-mixed. Add this to the strawberries (after the 30 minutes), and set aside, letting sit for at least 10 minutes.

Next, to make the dough pulse 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt. Then add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas which is about 5 seconds.

Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened, about 5 seconds. Then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times until it comes together.

Then shape the dough into a disk. Make sure you have added some additional flour onto your work surface, then roll the dough out into a 16 inch round-ish shape that is about 1/4 inch thick.

Next, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat, then roll the dough around the rolling-pin to pick it up and unroll it onto the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tbs of the sugar with the remaining 1 tbs of flour and sprinkle it over the dough.

Now add the strawberries to the center of the dough and begin pulling up the edges of the dough around the berries in a free-form fashion – really, don’t fret too much here – it’s “rustic.” But be sure to make sure it’s totally sealed and check for any leaks – despite taking a picture of this, I did not correct that leak in the upper right. Woops.

Next push the strawberries down a bit so none are sticking too far out of the tart, or they will blacken a bit when in the oven. They should all be submerged in the sugary liquid if possible.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Refrigerate the unbaked tart until slightly chilled for 10 minutes.

Remove the tart and brush the crust with the melted butter and sprinkle the tart with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake the tart in the center of the oven for 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool for just a few minutes before serving.

Ice cream or fresh whipped cream would be fabulous on this as well.

How’s that for a fresh from the farmer’s market dessert recipe!? Honestly it’s pretty simple to make and tastes like pure summer.

Cheers all!