Name: Strawberry Mascarpone Tart With Port Glaze
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 1/2 hr (includes cooling)
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt; 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 large egg yolk; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 3 tablespoons cold water; 1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup ruby Port; 1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups); 1/4 cup confectioners sugar; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

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Photo by Andrea Albin

Active Time
30 min
Total Time
2 1/2 hr (includes cooling)

This time of year, you can't have too many fruit tarts. Here, ripe strawberries drizzled with Port glaze top a luxurious no-bake mascarpone filling. The press-in crust, by the way, is a breeze to make.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

For tart shell:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup ruby Port

1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

Preparation

Make tart shell:
Step 1
Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.
Step 2
Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
Step 4
Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.
Make filling while tart shell cools:
Step 5
Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.
Step 6
Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.
Assemble tart:
Step 7
Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

Cooks' note:

Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.

Leave a Review

Reviews (126)

I would make this again in a flash! The syrup reduction was beyond delicious. The mascarpone filling was creamy and not too sweet. Loved the shortbread crust. It was easy to make too! The strawberries were perfection. This dessert was picture perfect.
- Terry P.
- Newport News, VA
- 4/8/2023
We all thought that this was pretty good. The crust was pretty tasty and everyone liked the filling. I had no issues with the mascarpone. I also topped the strawberries with some edible flowers.
- RH
- Afton, VA
- 6/3/2022
I will NOT make this again. Curdled mascarpone just ruined the dish. The tart shell was tasty, but the filling was awful. I should have known better than to add lemon juice to dairy, but I followed the recipe. I would also use less port and more strawberry juice. (If I could rate it zero forks, I would.)
- Dami01
- 7/1/2018
The only component I followed exactly was the crust, so that is all I feel I should review. And, it was awesome! I did use a mascarpone/whipped cream filling and this crust really stood up to that heaviness. It stayed crisp and had a wonderful subtle cookie-ness about it. I had no trouble with shrinking after freezing for 15-20 minutes before baking. My only sad part is that I have trouble with pat-in crusts (where I don't have the same control over thickness as rolling) and I wasn't exactly even, leading to uneven browning. My fault, not the recipe's. Nevertheless, it was a delicious tart crust that I encourage anyone to make.
- nylvod
- New Jersey
- 5/10/2016
Absolutely delicious, I did use less sugar on the strawberries which turn out perfect.
- Ludivine
- Detroit
- 6/7/2015
I had no trouble with curdling mascarpone -- perhaps because I mixed the lemon, powdered sugar, etc before I added the cheese. My crust shrunk quite a bit. Very yummy though.
- SunGourd
- CT
- 4/20/2014
LOVE THIS ONE!
- gourmetcreations
- NJ
- 5/7/2013
Complex recipe, but yummy.
- aschantell
- 2/7/2013
I would say I'm not the best baker - but I'd also say this recipe does not appear that difficult. My version of this tart was less than impressive. The crust/tart was a bit hard and not at all flaky, and the cheese curdled right away when I added the lemon juice. I'm not sure how to rectify the cheese issue - and it looks like I'm not alone, based on other reviews. Before serving to a crowd, I would try this recipe out first to be sure you really like it.
- Anonymous
- Philadelphia, PA
- 1/6/2013
I'm a fairly inexperienced baker, but had a great time with this recipe. Was able to use a foil-lined 9" square cakepan, instead of something special. Used rice for the weight, to prevent bubbling. My strawberries were no the best (a little white), but swapping 1/2lb with raspberries worked really well. Rather than Port, I used some chocolate wine I had around. On the whole, it was delicious. I would use way less sugar though-- it is loaded in the crust, cheese, and strawberries. I also might try using blueberries, or apricots, along with the strawberries. The mascarpone shone.
- pehrlich17
- San Francisco
- 12/25/2012
Delicious and not too sweet! Used the zest of an entire large lemon +1 Tbl fresh lemon juice in the filling, which gave it a discernible, but still light, lemon flavor. Also, the mascarpone becomes stiff in just a minute or two (it will curdle if beaten too much). I was tired of butter crusts shrinking far below the rim of the tart pan; this time I froze the crust for 40 minutes, and it came out perfect.
- Anonymous
- Colorado Springs, CO
- 7/23/2012
it is beter with custard
- maxnorman
- 7/22/2012
Quite yummy! I made a couple changes based on previous reviewers' comments: an extra 1/2 tsp of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp of brown sugar in with the marscapone. I was also out of port, so I used a mixture of sherry and triple sec.
- sitagaki
- 7/14/2012
It looked exactly like the picture and was so pretty!! I didn't add the Port, and just reduced the syrup that came right from the strawberries, which was delicious. I think the Port would've just messed with the flavor of it. I didn't have mascarpone, so instead I made my own by mixing 16 oz. of cream cheese (2 packages), 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. I had to beat it a little bit to get it smooth. Then I measured out 2 cups of the cream cheese mixture and just followed the rest of the directions with that as my mascarpone. I've never had mascarpone, but the substitute tasted great. The crust was delicious, and tasted almost like a shortbread. I had to add a few more spoonfuls of flour because it was so sticky, and there was no way I could knead it before adding the extra flour. The crust was very easy and well worth it. I had considered just using a store bought pie crust, but I'm definitely glad I didn't. I blind baked it for the full twenty minutes, but after I took off the pie weights (I used dried black beans), I only baked it another fifteen minutes. I didn't have any problems with the filling curdling, but after reading the reviews, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, so I mixed the zest, vanilla, and lemon juice together before mixing it into the mascarpone. When it says to beat the filling until stiff, I was imagining whipped cream, but it only needs to mixed until smooth and combined. It won't thicken, or go through any big changes, or at least it won't with the substitue mascarpone I used. I didn't add any brown sugar, nutmeg, or anything else. It didn't need it, but I will try it next time, because I can see how it might add to it. Overall, it was easy, beautiful, and delicious!
- Skyleroonie
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- 7/7/2012
Like others, I had trouble with curdling. I tried mixing the lemon with the vanilla first, but the mascarpone mixture curdled immediately when I added the lemon-vanilla. I might try again, but next time just use lemon zest and no juice. I also added the brown sugar and nutmeg, and before the lemon was added, it was delicious!
- Jules0298
- 5/13/2012