Strawberry-Ricotta Tartlets

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Hungry Mother, in the Yankee bastion of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a leader in the national Southern-restaurant trend. Pastry chef Heather Tirrell uses buttermilk to make the ricotta she piles on graham tartlet shells. But any good, store-bought ricotta would be fine, she says. More Fruit Desserts

Strawberry-Ricotta Tartlets
Photo: © Con Poulos
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Yield:
16 tartlets

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 1/4 cup graham flour (see Note)

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Pinch of ground cloves

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses

  • 3/4 pound strawberries, thinly sliced

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 1/4 cups fresh ricotta (10 ounces)

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

  1. In a bowl, whisk both flours with the cinnamon, salt and cloves. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter, light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the honey and molasses, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat in the flour mixture at low speed, just until incorporated. Pat the dough into a disk, cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch oval cookie cutter, stamp out 16 ovals; reroll the dough scraps if necessary. Transfer the ovals to the baking sheets and bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the ovals to racks to cool completely.

  3. In a bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Let stand until syrupy, 20 minutes.

  4. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on each oval. Arrange the strawberries over the ricotta, drizzle with the syrup and serve.

Notes

Graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour. Look for it at health-food stores.

Suggested Pairing

The ideal pairing: Madeira.

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