Review Strawberry Almond Cream Tart- Apr 03

[RUSTYSMOM]

I did a search but did not find a reveiw of this. I made it today. It was quite easy to prepare (I made the crust last night). I gave up desserts for lent so did not personally taste it but DH rated it a 9 (scale 1-10). I will definatley make this again - probably for Easter so I can try it. I will be curious to hear others experiences. It is definately worth trying.

[Kayla]

Thanks for the review :) It sounds like it'd be delicious... once I actually receive my magazine, I'll be sure to take a look!

Cheers,
Kayla

[cherylopal]

thanks for the review :)

did you place your strawberries like the photo or go for a more laid back approach?

cheryl

[RUSTYSMOM]

Just like the photo- it was SO easy!

['lil cooker]

Made this tonight and it was WONDERFUL. I can see this as a great finale to a summer dinner from the grill. A bonus - it can be made ahead. I did the crust, filling and glaze this morning. It was a snap to assemble this evening. I did not toss the strawberries with lemon, and deleted the almonds since I didn't have any on hand. This one is a definate keeper - a beautiful, refreshing dessert (did I mention delicious????)...

[SusanMac]

The pictures of this look absolutely beautiful. But, I get the sense that this is one of those desserts where, once you cut into it, it just falls apart and looks like crap on your plate. Mind you, those are sometimes the best tasting desserts. But, I was wondering what it was like to serve. Any comments? Or did you just dig in with a fork :-)

['lil cooker]

As far as cutting into it: I had no problem last night when I served it. I used a wedge-shaped pie server and it held up beautifully! I had a piece this morning for breakfast - still intact!

[matt]

At school i had offered to make this for pta breakfast. I am hoping that the parents will shocked to hear it is light. I am also planning to make the lemon blueberry muffins as well.

[Cinnamon Crazy]

Originally posted by RUSTYSMOM
I did a search but did not find a reveiw of this. I made it today. It was quite easy to prepare (I made the crust last night). I gave up desserts for lent so did not personally taste it but DH rated it a 9 (scale 1-10). I will definatley make this again - probably for Easter so I can try it. I will be curious to hear others experiences. It is definately worth trying.

I just have to commend you for still making desserts even though you gave them up. I am not baking until Easter. People have asked me to make them cookies or treats and I always tell them that if I can’t eat it, I am not making it. :D

[RUSTYSMOM]

Cinnamon - I did not say it was easy. I cannot wait for Easter Sunday! Yestrday I had to make a batch of "Great Haravest Cookies" - which are my favorite, for my son't school. It is Easter yet...

SusanMac - I had the same fear about cutting - to my surpise it cut beautifully. The strawberries are awesome around here now- I hope htey last another few weeks...

[matt]

I posted earlier that i want to make this dessert for the pta breakfast at school. I was wondering where can i get the 12x8 tart pan? I have tried william sonnoma. have tried cooking dot.com nothing. any ideas?
matt

[carolynne]

would someone please post the recipe. thank you in advance.

[sally/oh]

I second Carolynne's request--the recipe please. TIA

[britneyelise]

Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

Crust:
36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, melted
4 teaspoons water
Cooking Spray

Filling:
3/4 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Topping:
6 cups fresh small strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor, process until crumbly. Add 2 tbsp. sugar, butter, and water, pulse until just until moist. Place mixture in a 9 inch round removable bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing bottom and up sides to 3/4 inch. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely.
3. To prepare filling , combine cream cheese 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly on bottom of tart shell.
4. To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor, process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring iwth a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cook one minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temp., stirring occasionally.
5. Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice, toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over strawberries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours. Yield 10 servings.


* I made this yesterday, it is already gone, very yummy and quite easy. I used an 8 * 8 inch remov. bottom tart pan. I also used light strawberry cream cheese. That extra glaze is so good over vanilla ice cream.

[Tiger]

Originally posted by matt
I posted earlier that i want to make this dessert for the pta breakfast at school. I was wondering where can i get the 12x8 tart pan? I have tried william sonnoma. have tried cooking dot.com nothing. any ideas?
matt

Matt,
I too can't find a rect. pan. I've never saw one before but I've never really looked. It does give it a different look than your typical tart.
It does say you can use a 9inch round one. I just bought one. (The one I have doesn't have removable sides.) When I got it home I measured it and it is larger than 9 inches so I'll just increase the recipe. Not a bad thing.:p I got the pan at Kohl's. It wasn't marked and there weren't any others. The guy rang it up for $2.74. Sounded like a good deal to me.;)

[Alethea]

I made this over the weekend, and would also say that this was very easy to make, and quite delicious.

But I have one gripe with the recipe, which is why does it call for you to make TWICE the amount of glaze that's needed for the recipe? I would have gladly just saved 1 cup of strawberries for my cereal. It's my own fault for not reading the recipe through before starting, but it just seems unnecessary and pointless. Okay, done with my rant now.:o

That said, the tart is very good!:) And I suppose it won't kill me to add some of the glaze to my plain yogurt.:D

[valchemist]

Originally posted by Alethea
But I have one gripe with the recipe, which is why does it call for you to make TWICE the amount of glaze that's needed for the recipe?


I was wondering that, too, when I read the recipe.

[TamiKnight]

I actually READ the whole recipe and decided to only make half the glaze. By the time I actually MADE the recipe, though, I forgot. This was good, but I think I'm going to make some changes next time. First, it was just too sweet for us--I'll be cutting back the sugar in the glaze and the crust. I also didn't care for the look of the very pulpy glaze. I'm thinking about straining it through a fine mesh sieve to reduce some of the solids the next time. Also, I used TJs graham crackers, and they just had too much flavor for this recipe. Next time, I'll use plain ones. The only other problem I had is that the crust was incredibly hard to cut. We ended up holding the slices like a piece of pizza and eating them that way. That might have been because of the TJs graham crackers, though. All in all, a real keeper.

[penguin]

I made this yesterday and it is wonderful. I used my 9" springform pan since I do not own a tart pan and it worked fine. I omitted the almonds since I didn't think they were necessary and didn't want to bother. My crust wasn't too hard to cut. I only baked it for 10 minutes, though, and my oven is on the cool side. Also, I used Nabisco Honey Maid Lowfat Graham Crackers.

I was thinking about halving the amount of glaze, but was afraid that there was some reason the recipe should not be halved. I chickened out because I didn't have enough extra strawberries in case the half batch of glaze didn't turn out. I would be interested to hear how the glaze recipe halves if anybody tries it.

I also agree that the glaze would be prettier if strained. From the picture on the cover, it looks like they strained the glaze because it looks much lighter and clearer than mine. All in all though, this will be a definite repeater! :)

[Alethea]

Oh, I forgot, I did end up straining the glaze, once I realized I had way more than I needed, and it does look much nicer. Mine was also initially a little gloopy because I was interrupted when making it and didn't mix the cornstarch in perfectly. So I definitely needed to strain it, but it was nicer without all the strawberry seeds and pulp.

[JulieAnn]

I made this last night and am enjoying the leftovers today:D My changes/comments are:

1. I agree with the previous comment that it makes no sense to make all the sauce and then have leftovers.
2. I used a 10" tart part that doesn't have a removeable bottom and it worked great. I was really surprised about that.
3. It was difficult to cut so maybe I cooked it too long. To be honest I didn't put on the timer, so who knows!
4. Because my hubby likes chocolate with strawberries I drizzled melted chocolate chips all over. I didn't think it added too much, but he thought it was great!
5. The strawberries I bought were huge so I cut them in half lengthwise and layed them down flat. This worked well and they were still attractively placed.

[waltnj]

This sounds like a great recipe. I was wondering how strong the almond extract was in the filling? I tend to not like artificial nut flavorings & I was wondering how much impact leaving out the almond extract would have? Or how about substituting lemon extract or peel? Any thoughts?
Thanks!

[kimmurphy94]

waltnj - I personally hate almond extract. I always find it completely overpowering in any recipe. I love almonds - just not extract. So, I left it out. It taste great with just the vanilla alone.

My only gripe was with the crust. I just didn't have enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Maybe my tart pan is a 10 incher... I ended up making more, which probably ruined the "light" aspect.

For those of you who didn't use the almonds - I was amazed at how nicely the almonds paired with this and added so much flavor to the tart. Next time, try it with them; its quite yummy!

['lil cooker]

Ooooooh.... I love the idea of melted chocolate chips drizzled over the top - how decadent! Thanks for the suggestion. As far as almond extract, I really didn't taste it in the recipe!

[Claudia S]

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but make fresh fruit tarts often. To make a real easy glaze you can melt some strawberry jelly (in a pan or in the microwave) and brush the melted jelly over the berries.

Claudia

[ksrb]

Hi---I have just joined this forum and this is my very first post. You sound like a fun group!

Just made the Strawberry Almond Cream Tart last night. It really turned out wonderfully, despite the fact that instead of light cream cheese I used "yogurt cheese" (nonfat plain yogurt that has been left to drain overnight in the fridge, making it really solid). I frequently do this because I don't like buying a container of cream cheese, using part of it for a recipe, and having the rest of it go to waste. (We don't really care for cream cheese.) I always have nonfat plain yogurt on hand. This may have made the dessert more tart tasting, but I like tart.

Anyway, I too wondered why the recipe had you make twice as much glaze as you need. This drives me crazy! We are using the rest as jam on bread in the morning, but still.

I also wish the recipe gave measurements for both kinds of graham crackers---the kind you have to crumble yourself and the kind that comes already crumbled. They are the same, aren't they? I had to guess on the measurement.

Finally, I made individual tarts instead of one big one. (I recently bought one of those silicon tart pans and was dying to try it.) The little tarts are adorable. I was afraid the graham cracker crusts would just fall apart but they held up quite well.

Sorry this note is so long. My first one, too! Thanks for listening.

ksrb

[valchemist]

great review! thanks, ksrb. and welcome to the BB!


Val

[melis104]

Thnks for posting this. I'm going to make it for Easter along w/ one of the non-light cakes from Bon Apetite.

[krissylou]

I made this yesterday and it was a big hit. I made it in a 10" pie pan and halved the glaze. I thought it was really easy to put together and delicious but the serving sizes were a bit puny. I cut it into 12 slices and they seemed like tiny little slivers -- it would have been fine for something rich like cheesecake, but for strawberry pie I want something larger. 8 pieces would probably have been as small as they should go.

[Tiger]

Originally posted by krissylou
I cut it into 12 slices and they seemed like tiny little slivers -- it would have been fine for something rich like cheesecake, but for strawberry pie I want something larger. 8 pieces would probably have been as small as they should go.

We agree. I made this last night for my Supper Club using a 11" tart pan and it served 8 perfectly.
I did have a problem the first go around. Since my pan was larger than suggested I made more crust. But I didn't add enough extra butter and water. It was too dry and when I tried to spread the cream chesse mixture the crust pulled up in a big mess. I threw it all away and started over. The second time I made the crust moister and softened the cream cheese and it was perfect.
I'm glad I tried again because it was a big hit. It's a pretty dessert and would be good for Easter or Mother's day. A Strawberry season must!:D A real keeper!:) :) :)

[ksrb]

Is it too late to be posting on this subject?

I was wondering if people from Cooking Light ever jump in on any of these threads. For instance, with this strawberry tart I think we all decided that you didn't need to make the amount of glaze called for in the recipe (it had you making twice as much as the recipe used).

But no one (including me) seems to know WHY the CL recipe calls for double the amount of glaze. Doesn't this seem weird? Does CL ever explain these mysteries to us? Wouldn't that be nice? (Maybe everyone knows the answer to this. I am a newbie, still trying to figure out how to work this site.)

Best,
ksrb

[penguin]

Generally speaking, CL doesn't jump in for something like this. The moderator sometimes jumps in for topics/threads related to magazine or BB issues, but perhaps one of us could write a letter to the editor or send an e-mail to the website asking this question. It seems odd, and someone said they halved the recipe with good results, so I can't see why they wanted you to make so much either.

BTW, welcome to the BB!! :) :D

[ksrb]

Thank you, Amy, for your speedy reply. I think we are online at the same time!

Thanks for the welcome, too. I can see how this BB could get habit forming. Yike. The cookie recipes looked fabulous.

Maybe I will try to write a letter to the CL editor, just to see how that works.

Best,
ksrb

[kristalsnow7]

I brought the tart into work yesterday and it was a big hit. Our receptionist called me up and told me she "could not get over" how great it was and could she "PLEASE come over" to my house for dessert all the time? It was a snap to prepare, and had a very fresh, sweet taste. Like other posters, I'm puzzled as to why half the glaze is not used?? Very strange. I halved the glaze recipe and thought it was just the right amount. Next time I will follow the suggestion of straining the glaze. I think it would be much prettier. Also, 10 servings seemed kind of puny. I think we got 8 servings out of it, which meant some people didn't get any. :o I guess I'll have to make it again!


Kristal

[ksrb]

Actually, other people not knowing why this tart recipe has you making twice as much glaze as necessary makes me feel somewhat better about being confused myself. I guess the important thing is that this dessert is really very good, "light," and easy to make.

However: It seems to me that recipe instructions are sometimes rather nonsensical. When I was first learning to cook I followed directions to the letter, really jumping through the hoops. Finally I have realized that you don't necessary HAVE to do what they say.

Gripingly yours,
ksrb

[Kayla]

Originally posted by ksrb
Thank you, Amy, for your speedy reply. I think we are online at the same time!

Thanks for the welcome, too. I can see how this BB could get habit forming. Yike. The cookie recipes looked fabulous.

Maybe I will try to write a letter to the CL editor, just to see how that works.

Best,
ksrb

Just wanted to say - welcome, welcome ksrb!

Speaking of people being online at the same time... check out on the CL main bb page the bottom where it lists which members are online currently - you'll be able to see all of your buddied frequenting these forums just like you! ;)

Also, if you send a PM (private message) to Maelyn Cheung, she will often respond to you... it just might take a little time.

Hope you'll stick around - these boards are SO much fun and really helpful to boot :)

Best wishes,
Kayla

P.S. It's never too late to post on a thread - they pop up from months, even years ago sometimes!

[yorkshirepud]

Would someone mind posting the nutritional value of this recipe? It sounds yummy. I gotta get me a removable tart pan ASAP.

Also, do you think you could freeze the leftovers? There probably wouldn't be any, but you never know.

[ksrb]

Well, I don't know about freezing this tart. I will say that the graham cracker crust was very crumbly and falling apart after a day and a night in the refrigerator. (I made individual tarts. They were perfect for dinner that evening. We put the leftovers in the fridge and had them the next night---that's when they were falling apart and sort of damp.)

Nutritional info: (Based on one tenth of the tart, a pretty thin sliver) Calories: 289; Fat 8.9g (sat 4.2g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.5g); Protein: 4.5g; Carb: 48.7g; Fiber: 3g; Chol: 15mg; Iron: 1.3mg; Sodium: 242mg; Calcium: 59mg.

In my version I used "yogurt cheese" (made from plain nonfat yogurt) so had less fat. Plus we like the tarter flavor of yogurt as opposed to cream cheese.

Best,
ksrb

[yorkshirepud]

Thanks ksrb,

Sorry about the crubly crusts. I had dough issues last night myself, so I feel your pain. ;)

Thanks for the info.

[emilycat]

Adele,

I definitely wouldn't freeze the leftovers, unless you like mushy strawberries. Freezing them in a dessert like this will ruin the texture.

BTW, I promise I am not tagging along after you on the BB today! ;)

[Svadhisthana]

Would this travel well? If I make it for Easter I would need to transport it about an hour and 1/2 away from home. TIA.


Crystal

[Valerie226]

I made this too & have a couple of minor gripes. (I did not notice that I would have twice as much glaze as needed but managed to use it up anyway). the only strawberries we have are gigantic california ones, beautiful but no flavor. I sliced & overlapped them. I made the glaze from some frozen local berries, and it was wonderful. I liked the crust & would make it again. what I would do is use double the amount of cream cheese, mixing 1/2 ff and 1/2 rf and probably not quite doubling the sugar. I would keep the crust the same and make 1/2 the glaze. It would be prettier and easier to cut with small berries. but local berries will be here in june!

[yorkshirepud]

Originally posted by emilycat
Adele,

I definitely wouldn't freeze the leftovers, unless you like mushy strawberries. Freezing them in a dessert like this will ruin the texture.


That's what I thought after I posed the question. Thanks for confirming that.

Originally posted by emilycat
BTW, I promise I am not tagging along after you on the BB today! ;)

Oh I think you are Emily, I think you are! :D ;)

[suziking]

Yummi!!! Wow!! I was so happy that my crust cut so nicely too!

A definite repeater! Thanks for all your reviews!

Suzi

[Donna P]

I love strawberries and chocolate. could you use the chocolate graham crackers for this?

[TamiKnight]

Originally posted by Donna P
I love strawberries and chocolate. could you use the chocolate graham crackers for this?

Good idea. I think it would taste fabulous!

[KelLeg]

I made this for my book club couples' party last night. We all thought it was delicious. I didn't change a thing (except, I only made half the glaze). I tried to strain the glaze and it was too thick, so I used it as is. It looked a little clumpy, but not too bad. This is really a great dessert and I'm already wondering when I can make it again. I think homemade graham crusts are SO much better than store bought. I also think this dessert looks like you bought it at a bakery. It would be a good one for Easter.

[emily]

Hi, everyone. I made this last night except that I used the almond crust (http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=107954) from the Strawberry Icebox Pie in the 4/03 BA. I did this because I had only about 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs and didn't want to buy more.

Almond Crust

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I used sliced)
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I used 4 T plus 4 t water, I think the butter could be reduced further)

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Coarsely chop almonds in processor. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar; process until finely ground. Add butter; process until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pie dish.

Bake crust until set, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

This crust was perfect for the rest of the tart. It was really crispy, held it's shape really well, slid right out of my 11" tart pan (I didn't realize it was that big until just now) and I think, had there been any leftovers, it would still be crispy today.

Since my tart pan was so big, I didn't have enough crust to go up the sides at all, so I left off the extra almonds around the edge of the tart. We didn't miss it at all. My friends all had 2 servings - hence the reason there's none left today :o Plus it was easy and gorgeous.

What have y'all been doing with the left over sauce? Any recommendations? I'm thinking milk shakes :)

Em

[Kayla]

Originally posted by emily
...What have y'all been doing with the left over sauce? Any recommendations? I'm thinking milk shakes :)

Em

MMM, milkshakes or smoothies are a great idea!

I think it was Shannon (Britneyelise) that suggested using the extra sauce to drizzle over ice cream or frozen yogurt... I thought that was a yummy idea too :)

Kayla

[colleency]

I made this for a party last night.

I didn't think it traveled wonderfully, but if it was refrigerated until the glaze set, kept cool, and packed well, it would do fine.

I live in California, so I used California strawberries purchased at a strawberry patch in Orange County. I didn't realize that strawberries from elsewhere were smaller or more flavorful, but the man at the stand said that this has been a horrible year for strawberries -- recent rainstorms have destroyed the crops. Anyway, I used the strawberries whole. I thought the grand scale made the tart look more impressive.

I was in middle of making strawberry jam when I made this recipe. I had done the slicing and cooking, but not the canning. The last time I made the jam, I remember wishing that it had more fruit and less liquid, so I just skimmed off a cup of the liquid and added 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch.

It was the hit of the party! My husband even asked me to make it again!

[nori]

Made this for Easter. This is a keeper!!!:)

I had a hard time finding "small"strawberries. All they had at the supermarket was "Giant".:rolleyes: I grabbed 4 packages anyway, and at the checkout the girl mentioned they sell 4 lb strawberries at a better price so I decided to buy that. When the guy brought the package to me, I was delighted...they were relatively smaller than the regular packaged ones. Still, I think if the berries were smaller, it looked even cuter. Mine didn't look as pretty as the photo...

About the glaze...this is yummy! I don't mind having leftovers. As someone said, it was too thick to pour over those berries and it was hard to spread. I wonder if anyone tried to strain them...that would make a pretty cake.

Taste was great! I liked the combination of the crust and cream cheese filling. This was a hit at the gathering.

And easy to make!!!

[Meg O'C]

Made this for Easter as well and I must say it looked quite professional! It tasted pretty good but I felt the glaze was a bit too sweet (actually maybe not the glaze but the whole dessert - seemed like there was a lot of sugar in it). I did make the full amount of the glaze and used what was not used on the tart to accompany a Black and White Pound Cake (CL4/00). It made a nice topper for the pound cake and did not seem too sweet (which is what makes me think the tart was just overall a bit too sweet for me).

[Valerie226]

For that leftover strawberry glaze from the tart, make the cheese pie from CL 4/03. It uses a similar strawberry glaze & the leftover glaze worked just fine. I like a little texture so did not bother straining. the cheese pie was very light,almost fluffy & excellent. the only thing wrong with it was it did not cut very well. the pieces tended to fall apart as they went onto the plate. but nevermind, it was delicious anyway. I used a 10 inch quiche pan and it BARELY fit as it rises quite a bit while baking and then settles down after.

[Wendy w]

I made this for Easter as well and it was a hit among my somewhat picky family-especially my BIL. It was gorgeous!! I made the crust and filling on Friday night, like the notes said. But, since I had the food processor out anyway, I decided to make the glaze too. I did not have to strain my glaze. After reading about how sweet it is, I decided to cut back the sugar to 1/2 cup and it worked great.

I did have a bit of a problem spreading the cream filling and brought up a few bits of graham cracker crumbs. Word to those who make the filling, crust, and glaze ahead of time, bring it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before assembling.

I will definitely be making this again very soon. In fact, this is my most favorite CL recipe of '03 so far and I'm not really a big dessert person. I really liked the glaze and since I am in charge of the birthday celebration at work for the May birthdays, I am going to have fresh strawberries, pound cake, and whipped cream for the celebration. I think that offering a batch of glaze on the side will be great.

[Sheila in MD]

I made this today and it was great! I tried to use graham cracker crumbs...unsure of the equivalent I turned to Cooks THesaurus....it said that 16 crackers made a cup of crumbs...well, I took their word for it until I dumbed the not moist crumb mixture into my 9" tart pan...it was painfully obvious that this was WAY too much! So...ff to the store I went for my box of graham crackers. I can now tell you that if you wish to use boxed crumbs you will need 1 cup + 1/4 cup + 1 T of crumbs! I made the 36 crackers into crumbs and measured them! You also need 3/4 of an 8 ounce brick of light cream cheese. DOn't know why CL can't just say that! I baked the crust for 8 minutes and it was perfect. My glaze did not require straining but I let it puree for a while in my cusineart. I also think I read somewhere that if one wishes a cleared glaze it is better to use arrowroot than cornstarch.

Anyway-it was wonderful-looked like the picture (except mine was round:-) and it got rave reviews where I took it.

Sheila in MD

[knunes]

I made this for Easter, along with the Margarita Angel Food Cake and the Chocolate Fudge pie from a couple of months ago. It was a big hit and looked gorgeous. I followed the recipe exactly except for halving the glaze, thanks to all of your great advice. I didn't strain the glaze either and thought it looked fine as it was. I had chilled it before travelling and it kept well in a cooler in the car for several hours until dessert was served. Leftovers (or should I say the one leftover piece) were/was delicious the next day. I wished that I had had the rectangular pan because it looks a little more unique that way, I think, but my 9" round tart pan was fine.

[valchemist]

Originally posted by Sheila in MD
Cooks THesaurus....it said that 16 crackers made a cup of crumbs...well, I took their word for it until I dumbed the not moist crumb mixture into my 9" tart pan...it was painfully obvious that this was WAY too much!

I think the discrepancy lies in what they consider to be a cracker. I don't think they consider a full sheet to be a cracker.

Here is what it sounds like to me...

Since you determined that 9 sheets equals about 1 1/4 cups of crumbs, that means 8 sheets would be about 1 cup of crumbs. So when Cooks Thesaurus said 16 crackers make a cup of crumbs, they meant 16 half sheets.

Pretty confusing.

I am glad your tart turned out well!!

[SuzyQue]

Originally posted by Sheila in MD
You also need 3/4 of an 8 ounce brick of light cream cheese. DOn't know why CL can't just say that!

I was wondering the same thing!

I made this yesterday and thought it was really good. I'd make it again. :)

[HUNGRY!]

I made this for Easter dessert and we loved it! I did have a little bit of trouble spreading the cream cheese mixture along the bottom of the graham cracker crust but it still tasted great and looked great. I let my brother use the leftovers to mix with his syrup to put on his e'ggo waffles!

[Valerie226]

Good point Val. I've seen recipes where a "cracker" is 1/4 of a sheet also. I have an old recipe that called for a package of graham crackers, but I am sure that the number of crackers in each package has changed in recent years. So I always go by how many cups of crumbs.

[ksrb]

Did anyone see the recent Williams Sonoma catalogue, wherein they gave a recipe for Strawberry Tart (page 9)? It is very similar to the CL version except they call for a regular pastry crust, have you put orange zest and a little Cointreau into the cream cheese mixture, AND tell you to simply use bottled apricot jam for the glaze! They say to heat the jam and strain it before brushing over the strawberries.

That would be much simpler than making your own glaze, in addition to saving one's fresh strawberries for more delicious purposes. I wonder how much difference it would make taste-wise. I did think that the mixture of three fruits called for in this recipe(orange, strawberry, and apricot) might be a a bit much. If I tried this I would definitely stick with my "yogurt cheese" substitute for the cream cheese and leave out the orange flavorings, which I am not wild about in most circumstances (though I like oranges). I'm thinking the apricot jam might not even be noticeable, flavor-wise. Once I used clear currant jelly (heated) over a raspberry tart and could not taste the currant at all---it just gave a nice sheen to the berries.

So many ways to do the same thing.

Whole graham crackers versus graham cracker crumbs: Is there a reliable standard equivalency formula?

Best,
K

[akairo]

I made two tarts.

I knew I was going to like it and I had lots of strawberries, so I doubled the rest of the recipe. I am very glad I did. They were both gone in 3 days.

Tamara

[badunnin]

Just an fyi - instead of the glaze they suggested, I used the Dr. Oetker packets of clear glaze. It made waaaaay too much, but it was only $.50, so I didn't feel all too bad pouring it down the drain. It is a clear glaze, and it works wonderful for a mixed berry tart (which is why I used it today).

[knunes]

Originally posted by badunnin
Just an fyi - instead of the glaze they suggested, I used the Dr. Oetker packets of clear glaze.
Do you find that in the regular grocery store? In the baking needs aisle? Near what?

[badunnin]

Knunes - I found it in the International Section of my grocery store. It looks like this...
http://spurs.satexas.com/~badunnin/cleargla.gif

[Tiger]

I've never used that. Does it have any flavor? I know it does look pretty.
The glaze called for reminds me of a strawberry slush. Yum! I wonder how this glaze changes the final product.

[Grace]

I have used this glaze - I'm German and it's used everywhere in German baking. But in my opinion, it doesn't have any flavor, although it keeps the fruits from drying out and looks pretty. I made the tart the way the recipe states, and the fresh strawberry glaze has lots of flavor. I would opt for that over this glaze, although I do like the idea of using warmed, strained apricot preserves if you really don't want to make the glaze, but it's so easy, almost as easy as warming/straining preserves.

[knunes]

badunnin----Thanks for the response and the graphic! I'll check it out, whether I use it for that particular tart or not. Katie

[badunnin]

Originally posted by Grace
I have used this glaze - I'm German and it's used everywhere in German baking. But in my opinion, it doesn't have any flavor, although it keeps the fruits from drying out and looks pretty. I made the tart the way the recipe states, and the fresh strawberry glaze has lots of flavor. I would opt for that over this glaze, although I do like the idea of using warmed, strained apricot preserves if you really don't want to make the glaze, but it's so easy, almost as easy as warming/straining preserves.

Grace - the main reason I liked this (and I learned about it when living in Germany - it is very "German" - Oetker is an Austrian company) was because I used mixed fruit on my tart, and I didn't think the red on peaches would be very attractive. It opens up other options for fruit. I don't think pureed peaches would work very well - they are a little fibrous to use as a glaze.

[myrnas]

I have been out of town for a few weeks so don't know what all has been said on the glaze subject, but, I have always used apple jelly to glaze fruits. Just put a few tablespoons into a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave. Brush on fruit. It gives a wonderful glaze without adding flavor to the fruit. I have been known to buy a Costco cheesecake, add beautiful fruit designs on top and brushing with melted apple jelly. The raves are deafening. It is even more rewarding when you make your own cheesecake, but Costco will pull you through in a crunch. I often do individual tarts with fruit and glaze on top. They are great for an afternoon tea. Try it. You will like it.

[misstapioca]

Thanks Sheila for measuring out the crackers. I too used crumbs(its what I had on hand) I guessed at approx 1 1/2-3/4 cup but my crust was a bit dry and thick. I wrote down your 1 1/4 cup measurement in the margin next to the recipe.
I had excellent reviews from my co-workers about this desert. I brought it for birthday party. I thought I had almond extract at home so I did not buy it store. I got cooking this up and no extract. I just substituted a tbsp of Amaretto liquer instead and it tasted great.

[d_ferrero]

...but one of our supper club members did, and it now ranks among my very favorite Cooking Light desserts, so I know I WILL make it. :D EVERYONE in attendance loved it -- including some of the "desserts shouldn't be light" guys in the group. It's rare that we have a "perfect ten" in our group, but this one certainly qualified.

[Tiger]

I've made this serveral times already. This is rare for me since I usually like to try new things. But it keeps getting requested!;)

[Vicanddi]

I've made this a couple times as well. It's pretty, and it does not taste light, which gives it high ratings in my book. It's a great summer dessert.

[valchemist]

I am pretty sure I am going to be the lone dissenter here. I think everyone on this thread has raved about this recipe (I haven't re-read the whole thread, but I think that is an accurate statement).

Well, I am not going to give this a bad review. I am just going to dissent by saying that I didn't think this recipe lived up to all of the hype.

It was good -- anything with strawberries is good in my book. But it wasn't anything special. The overwhelming taste here was the strawberries. I could barely even taste the cream filling there was so little of it. I don't mind an overwhelming strawberry taste, since I love them, but why go to all the effort involved in making this dessert. You are better off with a simple bowl of strawberries and cream or something similarly easy.

This recipe wasn't "easy" as advertised. you have to clean all the strawberries and then you dirty up a ton of dishes to make it. well, it wasn't difficult to make, it just took a while and dirtied a lot of stuff.

Even my strawberry loving husband wasn't wow-ed by this. We both thought it was very good, but nothing special.

[Tiger]

Val,
I will agree with you that this isn't an easy dessert to make. Anything with several steps takes some time. I also must admit to making extra cream and adding more almonds than called for.:rolleyes: Maybe that's why on mine there's more than just a strawberry taste. ;)
It's just so pretty! I'm still claiming it as one of my favorite CL desserts but I know where you're coming from.
Now if you want something easier with lots of different tastes try the Honey Peach and blackberry cobbler from July 03'. YUM!

[LaurenP]

I haven't made this yet and now Blueberries are coming in to season, do you think it would work to use the blueberries, but with the currant jelly glaze. Also I'd like to increase the filling, but should I go 1 1/2 times or could I double it, maybe if I use a springform pan, cause then the sides would be high, but the crust wouldn't contain the berries I guess. Any ideas? Should I just look for another recipe????:confused:

[valchemist]

Lauren,

try this one, posted by stephanie! it is quite different from the CL one, but it sounds great.

Val


* Exported from MasterCook *

Blueberry-Almond Tart

Recipe By : posted by gertdog
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Tart Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter -- (1 stick) cut up
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Blueberry-Almond Filling:
8 ounces almond paste -- broken into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter -- softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. Prepare Tart Crust: In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in margarine or butter with shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with fork after each addition, until dough is just moist enough to hold together. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 14-inch round. Ease dough round into 11-inch by 1-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in and press against side of tart pan to form a rim 1/8 inch above edge of pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes to firm pastry slightly before baking.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake tart shell 20 minutes; remove foil with weights and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until golden. Transfer pan to wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, prepare Blueberry-Almond Filling: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat almond paste, margarine or butter, sugar, and salt until evenly blended, scraping bowl frequently with rubber spatula (mixture will resemble coarse crumbs). Add eggs and vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until blended. (It's OK if there are tiny lumps.) With spoon, stir in flour.

5. Pour almond mixture into warm tart shell; spread evenly. Scatter blueberries in even layer over filling. Bake tart 40 to 45 minutes, until golden. Cool tart in pan on wire rack. When cool, carefully remove side from pan.


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 329 Calories; 20g Fat (53.5% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 62mg Cholesterol; 263mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 4 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Description:
""Sweet summer blueberries and a buttery almond filling are a perfect
combination in this heavenly tart!""
Source:
"Good Housekeeping"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES :

gertdog:we made this for dessert last night. It looked beautiful and tasted wonderful. It was also pretty easy to put together. The only change made was to use more blueberries... enough to completely cover the top, and I added 1 tablespoon of sugar to the crust. I used a smaller tart pan, but it did have a removable bottom. I did find that this crust baked up very nicely and shrunk away from the sides of the pan some, so you could probably get slices of tart out pretty easily w/o having the removable bottom.

pie crust secrets to success. 1) If you have a food processor, use it to pulse together the dry ingredients and the fat. Then dump into a bowl and stir in the water with a fork til the dough can be pressed together. 2) A little vegetable shortening goes a long way toward making a flaky crust. But not too much, cause butter has the better flavor! 3)Follow instructions for chilling and add a minimum of flour during rolling out. Dough that is too warm will melt on your pin and stick; dough that is too cold will crack and be hard to roll.

[AnnaSue]

I thought this recipe was very good, but I was disappointed in how thin it turned out. It was hard to cut pieces without them falling apart since it seemed like the strawberries on top were too big and heavy for such a thin crust. I brought this to a party for dessert, and thought the portions turned out too small for seven people. I had also made another dessert, the Maple Bars from CL Complete, but those were a disaster and I ended up throwing them away and didn't have time to make anything else.

[LaurenP]

Thanks Val,

I love almond flavoring, sounds good with the blueberries.

[Lrimerman]

When I made this I used a 10 inch round tart pan, and I decided to double the filling which was good, because it made it perfect filling to fruit ratio. Also, I used most of the glaze, not all, but more than half.

Of course, this makes it much less light.

Lisa

[Carpathia]

Hi All! The Strawberry Almond Tart recipe looks great. I don't know how I missed this whole thread in April. Anyway I was thinking about making this for a birthday party on Saturday. I have 4 ounces of cream cheese in the fridge (half a stick) and I really don't want to buy more cream cheese since we will never eat it (the half is left over from another recipe I tried). Do you think the half a stick of cream cheese will be enough? If not, is there something I can substitute to make up for the missing 2 ounces?

Any help would be much appreciated!

TIA!

[Tiger]

IMHO 1/2 stick would not be enough.

[valchemist]

I agree with Patty. I think you should make a trip to the store to get more cream cheese. I think that's the only way the recipe is going to turn out as it should.

[ksrb]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record---I don't use cream cheese at all with this recipe, I use "yogurt cheese," which is something I make by draining plain nonfat yogurt until it is quite thick and solid.

So, Carpathia, I would think you could substitute those missing two ounces of cream cheese with something like drained yogurt.

Oh, and Val, I noticed you said you couldn't really taste the filling, that the overwhelming flavor in this dessert was strawberry. Now I haven't actually tried the cream cheese option but I have to say that my yogurt cheese is very tart and noticeable. Really gives a kick to the flavor. Cream cheese is more bland, to my taste buds.

Just my two cents' worth.

K

[CompassRose]

I should say you could also make a little batch of plain starch custard and mix it into the cream cheese if you didn't have yogourt and didn't want to go to the store.

If you have cottage cheese in the house, that works too. Place in blender or food processor, and puree until perfectly smooth. I mean perfectly smooth. Several minutes. I actually like this much better than the bought lowfat cream cheese; it has much the same texture and body, and even flavour (the mellow saltiness which yogourt cheese, much though I like that too, lacks) without all the merry chemical additives.

[topcakes]

I had posted a message initially on its own, not realizing all of these messages were already posted. There are a couple of things I could add to the comments already made.

First off, I thought it was delicious - I used the remaining half of the glaze to make a second tart - two in one weekend!

I put the filling into the crust using a pastry bag, and size 10 tip - much easier than trying to push all that sticky filling onto a loose crumb crust!

Maybe the people who had lumpy glaze hadn't processed the berries enough because I was actually quite impressed with how smooth a glaze it was.

The recipe is a definite keeper.

Denise

[Tiger]

Denise, this is one of my favorites too!
I solved the loose crumbs in the crust by using more butter.;) It makes a firmer crust. Of coarse not as light. :p

[catharine]

This has quickly become one of my favorites as well. I think I have made it five times already - I keep getting requests.

Anyhow, I have learned a few things. First, straining the glaze was totally useless to me. I think I had read here to do that, but I didn't see a big difference.

Second, if you make sure the cream cheese mixture is truly room temp. it is so much easier to spread. That said, it was also easier when I increased the cream cheese a bit (I used the whole package and increased the extracts and sugar) and that also improved the situation, through not calorie-wise.

Third, this is just a darn impressive-looking and impressive-tasting dessert. Everywhere I take it people ask in awe "you MADE this." At one function I was standing nearby when I overheard another woman walking around asking if anyone knew who made it. I was so proud, especially since this was a Women Attorneys Association pot luck and I am a new member. So many people just brought store-bought items - but don't get me started on that :)

Fourth, I don't get the "toss the strawnberries with lemon" thing. The first time I made it I accidentally put the lemon juice in the glaze and it was perfectly fine. I did it as written the next time and didn't notice a difference.

Anyhow, I highly recommend giving this one a try if you haven't already.

[topcakes]

Hi Catherine,

A suggestion I mentioned in my previous message - use a pastry bag for squeezing the filling in the crust - it's very neat and real quick. I do a lot of cake decorating so I have lots of equipment, but you can easily get a pastry bag at most kitchen-type stores, or make one out of paper. I used a size 10 tip - round hole about 1/4".

I think the lemon is to keep the strawberries from turning color. That's my guess.

Denise

[valchemist]

I think the pastry bag is a great idea. I had trouble spreading that small amount of cream cheese filling over the crumby crust.

[claire797]

I finally made this tart and it was very good. However, now that strawberries are more expensive, I'll probably follow the same directions for the tart part but use a different glaze. I have an Amish Strawberry Pie recipe which is very similar to this tart recipe, however the glaze is as follows:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white Karo
1 cup water
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O gelatin dessert

You don't have to puree anything and you can save a lot of $$ on strawberries. This will coat at least 3 cups of berries.

To make the glaze, Mix all ingredients exept Jello in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until thick. Add Jello and cool.

This might work with Splenda and Sugar Free Jello, but I've never tried it.

[nancy_east]

I am making in the midst of making this tart, and the recipe posted in the thread does not have the amount of "juice" (I'm assuming lemon) to add to the strawberries before you put them on top of the cream cheese mixture. Does anyone have this recipe in Mastercook and could tell me how much juice I need? Thanks so much!

[Kayaksoup]

Originally posted by nancy_east
I am making in the midst of making this tart, and the recipe posted in the thread does not have the amount of "juice" (I'm assuming lemon) to add to the strawberries before you put them on top of the cream cheese mixture. Does anyone have this recipe in Mastercook and could tell me how much juice I need? Thanks so much!
It is 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart
From Cooking Light

View Cooking Light Menu

Prepare the crust and filling up to 2 days ahead; assemble the morning of your brunch. You'll have extra glaze--try it on ice cream or pound cake.

Crust:
36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 teaspoons water
Cooking spray

Filling:
2/3 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Topping:
6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.

To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate.

Yield: 10 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 289 (28% from fat); FAT 8.9g (sat 4.2g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 4.5g; CARB 48.7g; FIBER 3g; CHOL 15mg; IRON 1.3mg; SODIUM 242mg; CALC 59mg;

Jean Kressy
Cooking Light, APRIL 2003

[nancy_east]

Thanks so much:D

[Valerie226]

I'm happy to see comments on this. I just made it with a variation & wanted to comment but could not find this thread no matter how many ways I searched a few days ago.

I doubled the cream cheese filling using a blend of low fat and non fat cream cheese. I used about 14 oz total of cheese. (The first time I made it I thought it needed more of a cheese layer) I cut the glaze in half. The amounts are easy to halve. I can't figure why the recipe is written to make twice as much as you will use.???
Local strawberries are (if available) make this fantastic,and very easy. And gorgeous to look at. I had wonderful local berries. This was beautiful and a big hit with my guests. I will make this again while local berries are available. Yummy!

[stacy7272]

My neighbor was interested in making fruit tarts and this one popped into my mind. I e-mailed her this thread so she could see the recipe and the comments. She e-mailed me back because she knows where to get an 8x12 pan. She works with an Austrailian woman and this is a common pan size there. She gets hers at www.kerekesequip.com. Hopefully this would work. My neighbor said that the tart pan is cheap but the shipping is like $10!!:o Good luck.