Goat Cheese Tart with Strawberries

I discovered this recipe online from Gourmet Traveller, and planned to make it immediately in the spring, maybe even using some of my own strawberries from the garden. After too much rain, my strawberries never made it to this tart.

Well, time passed, because as much as I was looking forward to this exquisite tart, I really dislike baking. However, I finally put on my big-girl kitchen apron and got to it. I purchased some pretty nice strawberries. And I’m so glad I finally made this.

The filling is a delicious goat cheese and double cream mixture scented with vanilla bean and orange, and the tart is topped with sliced strawberries in a strawberry glaze. It can be served with more double cream, of course.

From the magazine: “A gorgeous goat’s cheese tart recipe adorned with jammy strawberries, this dessert from Bondi’s famed restaurateur Sean Moran deftly strikes savoury and sweet notes in equal measure.”

Goat Cheese Tart with Strawberries
printable recipe below

1 Granny Smith apple, finely grated
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 lemon
12 ounces caster sugar, plus 4 ounces extra, divided
2 eggs, at room temperature, separated
7 ounces soft goat cheese
Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean
7 ounces double cream
Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Shortcrust Pastry
7 ounces plain flour, sifted
1 ounce caster sugar
4 1/2 ounces chilled unsalted butter, coarsely grated

For pastry, place flour, a pinch of salt and the sugar into a large bowl. Add butter and rub mixture with your palms until “sandy” in texture. Add 2 tbsp cold water, then squeeze gently until pastry just comes together. Form into a 3/4” thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.

Grease a 11-inch loose-based fluted tart tin. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick round large enough to line tin with a slight overhang. Line tin with pastry, pressing it into the base and side; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prick base of tart with a fork, then line with foil. Fill with pastry weights, then blind-bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; return to oven and bake until dry to the touch and light golden (8-10 minutes). Remove from oven and, using a small serrated knife, carefully cut away excess pastry around tart.

For the glaze, place apple, 1 pound strawberries and lemon juice with 32 ounces of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until strawberries are soft (15 minutes).
Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan (pushing pulp with a large spoon to extract as much liquid as possible). Add sugar (12 ounces) and bring to the boil, then boil rapidly until mixture is reduced by half (12 minutes); cool to room temperature.

After making the glaze, I decided to reduce it more; it was somewhat drippy. And yes, you know exactly what I did. I forgot about it on the stove. I won’t even show a photo, but I had to throw away a favorite Demeyere pot that I loved. And again, why do I bake?!!

Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Place yolks, goat’s cheese and 2 tablespoons caster sugar in a food processor with vanilla and pulse until combined.

Whisk egg whites in a clean warm bowl until frothy. Gradually add another 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk to soft peaks. Gently fold in cheese mixture, cream and orange zest, then pour into tart shell. Bake until golden on top (25-30 minutes); stand on a wire rack until cooled to room temperature. (Of course I had to add the zest after the filling was in the tart pan.)

Thinly slice remaining strawberries lengthways; place in a large bowl. Gently stir prepared strawberry glaze to loosen, then add to sliced strawberries and stir to combine. Arrange glazed strawberries on tart, spooning over excess glaze to fill any gaps. (Obviously, since I didn’t have a glaze, I heated sour cherry preserves and poured a little over the strawberries that I placed in as much of an artistic way as possible for me and called it done.)

Slice tart and serve with double cream or on its own.

The filling is outstanding. I’m sad about the non-existent glaze, but it wasn’t unique in a sense – just strawberry purée with apple, sugar and water. So I’m more pleased that I didn’t ruin the tart itself! And I highly recommend this recipe!