Description
Delight in these elegant Strawberry White Balsamic Caramel Tarts featuring crisp tart shells filled with luscious homemade caramel, fluffy whipped cream, and fresh sliced strawberries. Perfect for a special dessert or afternoon treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Tart Dough
- 1 cup all purpose flour (125 g)
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces (110 g)
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Strawberry and Cream Filling
- 1 cup whipping cream (230 g)
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 lb strawberries
Instructions
- Prepare Tart Dough: Combine flour, dark brown sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add cold butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Drizzle cold water, vanilla, and almond extracts over mixture. Pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs but not a ball.
- Form Tart Shells: Turn dough onto plastic wrap and form into a 1-inch thick disk. If needed, add a few drops of water to hold dough together. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface and press gently to form bottoms and sides of six 4-inch tart tins with removable bottoms.
- Chill and Preheat: Place tart tins in refrigerator while preheating oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake Tart Shells: Line dough with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights, then bake an additional 15 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Make Caramel: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat until dark amber, about 8 minutes, being careful not to burn. In a separate small saucepan, bring whipping cream to a simmer and keep warm on low heat.
- Finish Caramel: Remove sugar syrup from heat and slowly add warm cream, stirring constantly; mixture will bubble vigorously. Stir in butter until melted, then stir in white balsamic vinegar. Let caramel cool to room temperature.
- Prepare Cream Filling: In stand mixer bowl, combine whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip until soft peaks form.
- Prepare Strawberries: Wash and hull strawberries. Slice vertically into ¼ inch thick slices.
- Assemble Tarts: Pour a layer of caramel into the cooled tart shells. Fill with whipped cream. Arrange strawberry slices in overlapping circles on top of cream. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered for up to three days.
Notes
- Use pie weights or dried beans to prevent tart dough from puffing during blind baking.
- If dough is crumbly, add ice-cold water sparingly to help bind.
- Caramel can be made in advance and stored at room temperature for easier assembly.
- For firmer tart shells, chill dough longer before baking.
- Use ripe, but firm strawberries for best texture and appearance.
- Leftover tarts can be refrigerated up to 3 days but are best enjoyed fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tart
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 40 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
