Rustic Strawberry Tart

As with all desserts that spotlight fresh fruit, the season’s best berries make this tart shine. This dessert was inspired by a large basket of spring strawberries from Fall Creek Farm in Granbury, Texas, where Cullen and Ashley Crisp’s mantras are “the smaller, the sweeter” and “the redder, the better.” If you’re purchasing the grocery-store variety, pony up for organic—it’s worth it. Reprinted with permission from Meatless in Cowtown: A Vegetarian Guide to Food and Wine, Texas Style © 2015 by Laura Samuel Meyn and Anthony Head, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Photos by Jason Varney.

Makes one 10-inch tart

Crust

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
• 1⁄3 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar, divided
• 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt (skip if using vegan butter)
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted vegan butter stick (such as Earth Balance)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• 1 pound fresh organic strawberries, hulled and halved
• 3 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

To make the crust: Combine the flours, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt, if using, in a large bowl; whisk to blend well. Cut the butter or vegan butter into ½-inch pieces. Add the butter or vegan butter to the flour mixture and work in with your fingertips until a coarse meal forms (do not overwork the dough; some large bits can remain).

Using a fork, stir in just enough of the ice water to form a dough. Knead the dough briefly until it comes together. Pat the dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to roll it out.

To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, and lime juice; toss to coat.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface; sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough disk in the center of the parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll it out to a 13-inch round. Lift the parchment paper up and transfer it, with the crust, to a baking sheet.

Spoon the strawberries into the center of the dough, drizzling with a bit of the juices from the bottom of the bowl. Fold about 1½ inches of the edges of the tart dough in toward the center, partly covering the strawberries.

Sprinkle the top crust around the edges with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake the tart until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand for at least 15 minutes (the center will be very juicy but it will set some as it cools). Serve warm or at room temperature.

•  Here are more tips and recipes for using strawberries.

from Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes: VegKitchen.com http://ift.tt/1PYt95P