Honeyed Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tart

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

A tangy and subtly sweet dessert you can make all year long, using different berries as they come into season in early summer, stone fruit in late summer, even glazed apples or pears in fall. Some recipes for this type of egg-enriched dough advise patting it into the tart pan rather than rolling it out with a rolling pin. Of course, you can use your hands to press it in if you like, but I think that runs the risk of overworking this tender dough, resulting in tough crust; take the time to gently roll it out and carefully transfer it to the pan for the best result.

To ensure that your strawberries stay pert and fresh, wash and prep them as the filled tart cools after baking it. This tart is best the day you make it; the crust can get soggy after sitting overnight.

Note: Beautiful local strawberries need no embellishment, but if your berries fall a little short of prime ripeness, you can give them a bit of gloss and extra sweetness by dabbing them lightly with a spoonful of apricot jam that's been melted, strained and cooled slightly.

Makes 1 (11-inch) tart (serves 8–10)

For the tart shell
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons whole milk or half & half
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 or 2 lemons, depending on size)
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
¼ teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling and topping
8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese (1 cup), preferably whole milk
10–11 ounces fresh goat cheese (1 large tube), at room temperature
½ cup honey (as local as you can manage) or more, to taste
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
2 large eggs
1 pound strawberries (as local as you can manage), washed, dried well, hulled and cut lengthwise into halves, thirds, fourths (depending on the size of the berry)

Make the tart shell: Beat the egg yolk, milk or half & half and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside. Add the sugar and lemon zest to a food processor and process until moist and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1½ cups flour and the salt and pulse several times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until butter and flour are thoroughly combined and have the texture of coarse cornmeal, about eight 3-second pulses. With the motor running, add the yolk mixture through the feed tube and process just until the dough comes together into a mass, about 45 seconds (do not overprocess). Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap (no need to clean the food processor—you’ll need it to make the filling), knead it once or twice until it is cohesive, pat it into a neat 5 or 6-inch disc, wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

Rest the dough at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the work surface, dust it with flour, place the dough in the center, dust the top with flour and place a second large piece of plastic wrap over it if desired. Roll the dough into a circle about 14-inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap if necessary and use the bottom piece to gently flip the dough over an 11-inch tart pan (with a removable bottom); peel off and discard the plastic wrap. Ease the dough into the corners of the pan, gently lifting it bit by bit as you work your way around the pan. Trim the edges of the dough, folding any excess into the pan and pressing into the fluted sides to thicken and reinforce the sides of the tart shell. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough-lined pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3 days).

Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Place the frozen, dough-lined pan on a baking sheet, line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights (raw rice or beans work in a pinch), making sure there are enough weights to reach at least partway up the sides of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating pan midway through. Carefully remove the foil and weights, and continue baking until the crostata shell is golden brown, about 12 minutes longer (cover the edges with foil if they begin to darken too much), rotating the pan midway through. Place the baked shell on a wire rack to cool briefly (leave the oven on).

Fill and finish the tart: Add the ricotta, goat cheese, honey, lemon juice, vanilla and salt to the food processor and process until uniform, about 30 seconds (make sure the honey is dissolved and well distributed). Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional honey and/or salt and process to combine, if necessary. Add the eggs and process to combine, about 10 seconds. Pour the mixture into the tart shell, spread it into a smooth, even layer and bake until puffed around the edges and still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35 minutes, rotating the pan midway through (cover the edges of the crust with foil if they begin to darken too much). Place the tart on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Arrange the berries attractively on the tart. Remove from the pan, slice and serve, decorated with fresh edible flowers like pansies, lavender or garden thyme, if you like.

This recipe appeared in the Spring 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Spring parties.