The annual tart has arrived!! I love that it’s become a tradition of ours to make a strawberry tart around this time every year. The first one wasn’t so pretty, but it kick-started the tradition. Then last year we made these strawberry panna cotta tarts which had remained one of my favorite treats to this day – BUT today’s recipe really takes the “tart”… Badum-tishh. 

Berry tart with lemon mascarpone cream. Let me try that again, Oregon strawberry and marionberry tart with airy lemon curd mascarpone cream. I mean how much more dreamy could it get?! First off, have you ever made lemon curd? At first I thought that it was a waste of time and how good could it really be,  I WAS SO WRONG. It is SO worth the extra steps and it’s pure lemony bliss. I’m going to start putting it on everything – seriously. I want to make crepes and pancakes just so I can coat them in lemon curd. Secondly, how have I never put mascarpone and whipped cream together before?! Brilliant! And lastly, and most importantly, is the berries. Oregon berries are in a caliber of their own. They are so sweet and delicious that I struggle getting a carton full because I eat every other one that I pick. It’s one of my favorite day dates of the year when Thomas and I go to pick berries – it’s almost as fun as our apple picking adventures in the fall.

To save time, you could always buy lemon curd at the grocery store and pre-made crust. However, this homemade lemon curd and this sugar cookie like tart crust in this recipe gives it some extra pizzazz. I hope this little tart of mine makes it to some of your 4th of July festivities!! 

Berry Tart with Lemon Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients

Crust
– 2 cups all purpose flour
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
– 1/2 cup powdered sugar
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
– ¾ cup whipping cream
– 1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
– 1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
– 3/4 cup lemon curd, store bought, or I used this recipe
– mixed berries for topping
– lemon zest and powdered sugar for garnish

What to do

1. To prepare the crust, whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, using a standing mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated, being careful to not over mix. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch tart pan. I also have mini tart pans I use often! 
3. Once the dough has chilled, press the dough into the tart pan and up the sides. Use a knife to score the edges and make them even at the top. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the edges begin to lightly brown. If it has puffed up a little during baking, just gently press it down when you remove from oven. Cool completely in pan.
4. Next if you’re making the lemon curd, make it while the crust is baking that way it has time to cool. 
5. Then to make the filling, whip the cream on high with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Add the softened mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar and beat to mix well. Fold in the lemon curd with a wooden spoon.
6. Fill crust with filling, top with berries, a little lemon zest, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar

Enjoy!