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Simple Strawberry Dulce de Leche Shortbread Tart

Serves 8
  • Active time: 1 hr
    Total time: 1 hr

When we say simple, we mean it. And simplicity is exactly what you want when the local strawberry season arrives, and you’d rather be outside than indoors at the stove—even though you want to celebrate berry season with an easy, spectacular dessert. Ta-da! We’ve solved the problem.

Borrowing and expanding on South American alfajores, those addictive buttery sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche, we’ve made one big, flat cookie base (no hassling with tart pans), spread it with dulce de leche, and then topped it with a soft pillow of whipped cream for freshly sliced strawberries. It doesn’t get better than this!

This recipe is part of our Gourmet Modern Menu for Mother’s Day. Click here for the full menu and video.
Published in Gourmet Live 04.27.11

INGREDIENTS:

For Cookie Crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Cream:

  • 1 cup chilled heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Assembly:

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make Cookie Crust:

  • Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter a large baking sheet.
  • Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
  • Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, then beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until combined.
  • Form dough into a disk and roll out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Peel off and discard top piece of parchment. Slide round (still on bottom piece of parchment) onto baking sheet. (Butter on sheet will help keep parchment in place.)
  • Bake until round is firm to the touch and pale golden around edges, 12 to 16 minutes. Slide round on parchment onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Cream:

  • Beat heavy cream with sour cream, sugar, and vanilla using electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Assemble Tart:

  • Carefully slide cool tart from parchment onto a flat platter or cutting board. Gently spread dulce de leche onto crust (an offset spatula is helpful for this), taking care not to break crust. Spoon cream on top of dulce de leche and top with strawberries
  • Serve immediately.

COOKS’ NOTE:

  • Crust can be made, but not topped, 3 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept wrapped in plastic at room temperature.

Chris Gentile

Recipe by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

Keywords
Gourmet Live,
dessert,
tart,
strawberry,
dulce de leche