Roasted Strawberry, Balsamic Vinegar, Goat & Cream Cheese “Poptart”
Best warm a few minutes out of the oven but not bad rewarmed the next day either.
Servings Prep Time
6 30
Cook Time
15
Servings Prep Time
6 30
Cook Time
15
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Thaw the pastry, if frozen, and bring to room temp. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat ready. (NOTE: The dough I used came wrapped in it’s own oven ready parchment. If yours does too use it! Wait until it’s time to unwrap the dough then place it on the sheet pan.)
  2. Line a quarter sheet pan with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside (or use a disposable foil pan like I did). In a bowl big enough to hold the berries whisk 2 T of the honey, vinegar, olive oil, s & p. Clean and hull the strawberries then cut in half and add to the bowl. (Even if they are large they will cook down.) Toss until fully coated then pour the berries onto the sheet pan in a single layer and roast until fruit is soft and juices begin to thicken (approx. 40 min.) Let cool a few minutes before using to assemble the tarts.
  3. While the berry alchemy is happening mix the cheeses with the remaining 1T of honey and lemon zest in a separate bowl. Try not to eat it all before assembling the tarts.
  4. Lightly flour your counter and lay out the puff pastry in a single layer. Cut sheet into 12 rectangles (3 parallel to the longest part and 4 down). I used a ravioli cutter for this as it not only made it easier but gave the edges a nice ruffle. A sharp knife or pizza cutter works as well. Use the edge of a cookie sheet to help get nice straight cuts. Place half of the squares on the parchment lined baking sheet or silicone mat. (NOTE: If using pastry that comes with it’s own parchment paper, cut the dough on the paper and place half the squares on the lightly floured surface. Rearrange the squares left on the paper so that they are spaced out evenly and are not touching. These are your “base” squares.)
  5. On six “base” squares place a dollop of the cheese mixture and then make a little well in the middle of it careful not to hit bottom. Use enough to fill the pastry but not run over the side, a hefty tablespoon or so. In the little well place a strawberry or two depending on their size. Add a little juice but not so it’s running all over (that’s why we made a “well”).
  6. With a fork poke some holes in the top pastry, just a few, get creative. The pastry needs to vent steam while it cooks or they will explode. (I poke the holes then go back and expand them a little once they are firmly attached to the bottom pastry.) You could also use a knife to cut a hole in the top.
  7. Carefully drape the top pastry over the filling and secure it to the bottom pastry using a fork, preferred, or by pressing really well with your fingers. If a little juice dribbles out that’s alright, alright, alright to coin a phrase. Optionally mix a little water with the egg white and brush the tops. This gives it a nice sheen and makes them look like they came from the bakery. Bake at 350 for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown delicious.
  8. These are best warm a few minutes out of the oven (would scald your mouth right out) but are still awesome lightly reheated the next day or at room temp. Keep them in a sealed container in the refrigerator no longer than a day or two.
Recipe Notes

Notes:

The roasted strawberries are amazing on other things like ice cream or fresh ricotta, here’s a recipe. I mixed some ricotta and mascarpone with a little confectioners sugar and topped it off with these bad berries. OMG! 

If you have berries and cheese mix leftover just eat it, yes with a spoon or spread it on a bagel, english muffin or other good toasted bread. 

Balsamic vinegar: Don’t use your 150 year old bottle but use a decent one if you have it.  I used a cherry one I had and it was marvelous.

Can you use other fruits? Absolutely! Any stone fruit like fresh firm peaches or apricots would be amazing or even ones that are on the verge. Remove the stone, peel and slice 1/2″ thick.  Cherries pitted and halved. Nothing soft or acidic like bananas or citrus. I might play with kumquats though, rules were meant to be broken.

You could mix some fresh blueberries with the roasted strawberries when filling the tarts I just wouldn’t roast the blueberries but what do I know you might create a new trend.

Could you use frozen strawberries? Probably if they are the whole, flash frozen kind, thawed first. Let me know if you try it.