Strawberry Brown Sugar Tart

 Wow. Just Wow. This fresh strawberry tart is absolutely delicious!

 Look at all those shiny sweet strawberries.

 Lets not waste time. I just had to cut this bad boy up and dig in.

The crust on this tart is like a big yummy cookie. Slightly crisp and melt-in-your-mouth good. The filling is creamy and perfectly sweet and just heavenly with the layers of strawberries.

This is just a damn good tart. 'Nough said.

Strawberry Brown Sugar Tart

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1/2 cup whipping cream

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, whirl flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, the cornstarch, and salt until combined. Add butter and 1/2 tsp. vanilla and pulse until fine crumbs form and dough just begins to come together. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-in. round tart pan with a removable rim.

2. Bake until edges are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on a rack, then gently push tart crust from pan rim; set on a plate.

3. In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat crème fraîche, cream, remaining 2 tbsp. sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla until thick. Spread in cooled crust. Arrange strawberries in circles on top, alternating cut sides down and up.

Make ahead: Chill, loosely covered, up to 4 hours.

I used the recipe below for the filling instead of the one called for in the recipe. I didn't have crème fraîche. Both are delicious, so use whichever one sounds best.

My Cream Filling (So Good!)

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temp.

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. almond and coconut extract (opt.)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream*

Directions

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and extracts. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

* I used stabilized whipping cream for a thicker filling. I found this at a baking supple store.