Tonight I had a great little dinner party with some friends and decided to finish things off with a tasty treat. I present to you–Strawberry Chocolate Tarts!
The final product.
The strawberry chocolate tarts have a meringue shell filled with buttercream icing and strawberries, covered with chocolate fudge, and topped with honey-sweetened whipped cream. It’s a bit of a spin on a dessert that I have made pretty frequently in the past, which used poundcake and no icing. It’s a nice cool sweet treat that is light enough to go with a meal on a hotter day.
Photos of the process in which I needed both hands were taken by Douglas Abrams.
To start, I made basic meringue shells. 4 egg whites to a cup of confectioner’s sugar. Beat the egg whites and then slowly add in the sugar. Whip to stiff peaks.
Ingredients for the meringue.
Mmm sugar!
Just a cool shot of the hand mixer. Nothing to see here.
Beating the egg whites.
Probably should have whipped it a tiny bit more.
Place the meringue in a piping bag (I just got a new one!!!) and form circular bases of at least 2″ in diameter on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Run a 2-3 layer ring around the outside edge of the base to form the shell walls. Place the sheet into the oven at 225ºF and bake for 1.5 hours, turning the pan at about an hour.
Piping the meringue.
More piping.
The shells in the oven.
After time is up, turn off the oven and let the shells sit for another half-hour before removing them. If you want a browned shell, turn on the broiler and crack the oven door with the shells at the top third position for a few minutes. Once they are done, let them cool and harden, then pop them off the parchment.
All baked up and ready to fill!
They look so regal at this angle.
Removing the meringue shells. They pop off pretty easily. Don't squeeze!
Next, the filling. I had some leftover buttercream from the Almond Macaron filling, so I diced some strawberries and tossed them in the bottom of the shells, then piped buttercream icing in the crevasses.
The first stage of the filling.
Next, I will admit I cheated; I used store-bought microwaveable hot fudge 
. It’s tricky to get it warm enough that it will flow rather than come out in oddly-shaped logs, but it’s decently easy. I just heated it up and then poured a dollop on top of each tart.
Topped with chocolate.
Finally, I whipped up some simple homemade whipped cream. About a cup of heavy cream, a few tablespoons of honey, and a hand mixer for a few minutes. Then pop it into a piping bag and top the tart so the color of the fillings is completely covered.
The whipped cream.
Piping the whipped cream.
These things are so easy, but they taste like a small piece of heaven. Chocolate, strawberries, cream, and sugar just fit together for whatever reason. We started with 14, and as soon as this is written it will quickly be down to one. And then zero, because I have no self-control. But whatever. Enjoy the gallery!
I like the subtle color contrast between the shell and the cream.
Quite fancy.
The inside of the tart. Tasty.
So perfect!
With Saint Patrick’s day right around the corner, you can be sure that there will be a lot of fun, green posts in the near future! In the meantime, feel free to add us to your RSS feed, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!
Quick Recipe
Meringue Shell
4 egg whites
1c confectioner’s sugar
Beat egg whites until frothy. Add confectioner’s sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Pipe with star tip onto parchment-lined cookie sheet, starting with circular base and adding 2-3 layers to the edges for sides. Bake for 1.5hr at 225ºF, then turn of oven and leave for another 30 min. Broil tops for color. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from parchment paper.
Filling
Strawberries
Buttercream Icing
Hot fudge topping
Follow buttercream icing recipe from Almond Macarons. Dice strawberries and add to bottom of shell, piping icing with small round tip in voids. Cover with a dollop of chocolate topping.
Whipped Cream
1c heavy cream
honey to taste
In a bowl, whip heavy cream and honey to stiff peaks. Pipe with large star tip over filling.
