Strawberry Lemon Tart

Recipe Information

Serves 8 to 10 (Makes one 9-inch/23 cm pie or tart)
Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus chilling
Cook Time: 15 minutes
The tart will keep after slicing, loosely wrapped, in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1½ cups (375 mL) graham cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted
• Mascarpone Cream:
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 6 Tbsp (90 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (17 oz/475 g) tub mascarpone cheese

Syrup:

• ½ cup (125 mL) water
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• Peel from 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp (45 mL fresh lemon juice

Topping and Assembly:

• ½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp (8 g) icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 12 ladyfinger biscuits
• 2 cups (340 g) fresh strawberries
• Fresh mint leaves

Steps

1. For the crust, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate or round tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. Stir the graham crumbs and melted butter together until evenly combined, then press into the pie plate or pan. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely on a rack before filling.
3. For the mascarpone cream, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla in a metal bowl placed over a pot of gently simmering water until the mixture doubles in volume and holds a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese by hand until smooth. Chill the cream until ready to assemble the tart.
4. For the syrup, heat the water, lemon peel and juice, and sugar and stir just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
5. For the topping, whip the cream to a soft peak using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, then whip in the icing sugar and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.
6. To assemble, spread an even layer of half of the mascarpone cream over the bottom of the pie or tart crust, about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Dip the ladyfingers one at a time into the syrup and arrange them as closely as possible in the pan. Spread the remaining mascarpone filling over the top, covering the ladyfingers completely. Hull and slice the strawberries and arrange them on top of the tart. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream onto the tart and chill until ready to serve.