Hope you all had a great first weekend of summer! It’s been hot and humid here in Florida, but we were able to get out on the water Saturday thanks to some friends who invited us on their boat. Being from Washington, I grew up boating on the lakes and soaking up sun on the bow while friends tubed, wakeboarded, etc. (water sports aren’t really my thing), so this outing made it feel officially like summer. After the guys were done wakeboarding on the bayou, we anchored at Crab Island for a few hours. If you aren’t familiar with Destin, Crab Island is an underwater sandbar where the water is about waist-deep. During the summer, hundreds of boats gather and you’ll find people partying, enjoying the inflatable slides & obstacle courses, ordering food and drinks from the floating vendors, looking for dolphins, and walking from boat to boat. It’s an attraction that both locals and tourists enjoy.
To Make the Puff Pastry Crust:
After a long day in the sun, a lazy Sunday was just what I needed. I had a bunch of strawberries to use up, so I decided to test out a few recipes. This puff pastry tart is my new go-to summer dessert! It’s cool, light, and easy to make. The first step is to make the puff pastry. I used the frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets, but you could also use a homemade recipe. The key to getting that perfectly puffed up edge and flatter center is scoring! Use the tip of a sharp knife to score a 1″ border around the puff pastry sheet, but be careful not to cut all the way through. Then use a fork to stab some holes into the middle part to keep the middle section from puffing up too much. Before baking, brush just the 1″ border with the beaten egg. This helps the puff pastry turn perfectly golden brown and slightly glossy while baking. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on both the edges and the middle section. You could also use granulated sugar, but I like the coarse texture from the turbinado.
For the Filling:
After it’s done baking, you’ll want to re-score the border and gently press the middle part down to flatten it. Now you have the perfect edge for your tart! Let it cool while you make the cream cheese filling. The most important thing to remember when making the filling is that your cream cheese MUST be softened to room temperature, otherwise the mixture will look more like cottage cheese. Then use a standing mixer to combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, lemon zest, extracts and salt until smooth and creamy. The lemon zest adds a nice tartness to the filling, but it doesn’t have a strong lemon flavor. You could add lemon curd or lemon extract if you want to enhance this flavor.
To Assemble:
Now for the fun part – putting it all together! Use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese filling over the puff pastry then top with your favorite berries. I used strawberry slices, but blackberries, raspberries or blueberries would be great, too! You could even make a flag pattern for the 4th of July. This dessert is best served immediately. If you do want to make it ahead of time, keep the filling and puff pastry separate until you’re ready to enjoy. Otherwise the puff pastry will get somewhat soggy if it sits too long. However, I did put this in the refrigerator after photographing it and it was still delicious the next day, just not quite as crisp.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart with Puff Pastry
This light, refreshing dessert is perfect for summer! The flaky puff pastry is topped with a cream cheese filling and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz.) sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar
- 4 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (or other favorite berries) sliced
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
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Unfold puff pastry sheet and place on prepared baking sheet. Smooth it out with a lightly floured rolling pin if needed.
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Using a sharp knife, score a 1" border around the pastry (be careful not to cut all the way through). Using a fork, stab little holes in the middle. Brush the edges with beaten egg and top with sugar. You can also sprinkle some sugar over the middle section. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
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Re-score the border and gently press the middle section down to flatten. Let cool completely.
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In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, heavy cream, lemon zest, salt and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over the center of the cooled puff pastry.
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Place strawberries on top and dust with additional powdered sugar if desired. Serve immediately.
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