Butter and Sugar

I recently took a break from blogging, but really it was a break from cooking anything remotely interesting.  When I feel like I am being swallowed whole by work and life in general, I just want to eat peanut butter and jelly, pasta and grilled cheese.  This past weekend, I decided it was time to bake something a little special.  I love free form tarts.  They are really easy to make and take a lot less effort than a pie.  I rolled this out and baked it on floured parchment so I wouldn’t have to worry abut transferring it.  I added a little orange zest and a little sugar to bring out the flavor of the strawberries.

Ingredients

1 pie crust (I used Martha Stewart’s pate brisee)

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp corn starch

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 egg and splash of water for egg wash

1 tbsp orange marmalade

Toss the sliced strawberries in one tsp of sugar, zest and corn starch. Set aside.  Roll out the  dough into a circle about a 1/4 thick.  Arrange the strawberries in a circle leaving a 1 inch border. Pinch the sides over to seal the edges and brush with egg wash. Top the whole tart with the remaining tsp of sugar.  Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour and raise to 375 for additional 15 minutes or until the crust has lightly browned.  Allow the tart to cool.  Heat the marmalade and brush over the top of the strawberries for a glossy finish.