The 4th of July is known for two things: Freedom and berries, particularly of the red and blue variety. Not wanting to stray far from tradition, I created a festive puff pastry dessert with strawberries, blueberries and one not so traditional ingredient. Well, not a traditional American ingredient at least. The creamy sweet filling is made of Italian mascarpone cheese.
Now, I'm not Italian. Not even a little. But, every now and then I sit down and spend a half hour in front of my TV with Giada DeLaurentis. I pretend I can say "spaghetti" with her perfect Italian accent. I try to add up all the calories in her carb-laden dishes and wonder how she stays so thin. But mostly, I just want to add mascarpone cheese to everything I eat. Baked tortellini, tiramisu, banana muffins, cupcakes... you name it, I'll add mascarpone if Giada says its the right thing to do.
This recipe is so simple, yet festive. Tender puff pastry, sweet mascarpone filling, vanilla beans, zesty lemon and perfectly fresh berries. I think Giada would be proud. So add some Italian to your American celebration today.
Red, White and Blue Puff Pastry Tarts
An Amber's Confections Original Recipe
Makes 8
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs. vanilla bean paste or the seeds of one vanilla bean
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pint blueberries, washed
1 lb. strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll puff pastry sheets and using a large star shaped cookie cutter, cut each sheet into 4 stars. You will have 8 total. You can use the scraps of the dough to make smaller stars for decoration. Place the stars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and the lemon zest until combined.
To assemble:
Spread each star with a generous spoonful of the mascarpone mixture. Arrange the strawberry slices and the blueberries on top of the mascarpone. Garnish with lemon zest, a small puff pastry star or fresh whipped cream.
Happy Fourth of July! What are you baking today?
