Easy Strawberry Cream Tart

As easy as pie, so the saying goes. Thought I’d share a quick and simple Spring time dessert just in time for the Easter weekend. Life has been a little stressful lately, my Aunt Enriqueta, 98 years old, just passed away. Thankfully she was not ill, just tired. She slipped away quietly in her sleep. We have wonderful memories of her and will always keep her in our hearts.


My children know that when I’m stressed or the old Fibro kicks in, I can’t focus, so I either clean house or cook. You know what I mean, something that doesn’t take a great deal of intelligence or concentration. Here’s where this pie comes in.

I’d never made a tart shell before and had purchased a pan to give me the incentive to make one. Well, I kept putting it off and putting it off until two days ago. I figured if I could finally learn to make homemade bread, I could tackle making a tart.

The filling is “as easy as pie”. Cream cheese filling topped with strawberries and a glaze. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. I hope your Easter or Passover weekend is blessed with love and family.


Strawberry Cream Pie (I mean Tart)

1 (8 ounce) bar of cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 cup whipped cream (you can use Cool Whip if you like)
1 pint of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced in half
1 tub of Strawberry Glaze (I used Maries)
Additional whipped cream as a topping, optional
1 tart shell

Blend cream cheese and sugar together until well combined. Fold in whipped cream.

Spread evenly over tart shell. Arrange you sliced strawberries over the cream cheese filling. Cover completely with glaze. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Top with additional whipped cream (if desired) before serving.

Tart Shell

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar or brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Using a fork, stir in the beaten egg, until dough comes together nicely. Form pastry into a ball and chill for 1 hour.

Roll pastry out on a lightly floured work surface into a circle slightly larger than the tart pan, place in pan and press onto bottom and edge of pan and then firmly roll the rolling pin across the top of the tart pan to trim away the excess pastry. (Or a quick and easy method is to simply omit chilling the dough first and firmly press dough evenly against the bottom and side of an ungreased tart pan with your fingertips).

Bake pastry for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. (You can help prevent the pastry from becoming too puffy and bubbling by cutting out a circle of parchment or waxed paper and placing it on the tart pastry, then filling it with pastry weights, beans or rice. Remove the paper and weights a few minutes before the end of baking time to allow the pastry to brown. This procedure is called blind-baking).

Makes enough pastry for one (11-inch) round tart or 8 individual tart shells.