Strawberry Tartlets

I've been MIA for a few weeks.  I just needed a break from things and I've been busy making plans (as if that's ever concrete) for what lies ahead in our family.  I'm happy to report I've conquered several of my New Year's resolutions.  But we'll save that for another post.  I'll have lots of new fantastic recipes to share as well.

It appears that Spring is in the air and that means fresh and new!  And who can believe it's already MARCH?? Wow, my birth month is here.  Another year older.   Another year of adventure behind me.  And hopeful for another wonderful adventure ahead.

Well, I whipped up Jambalaya tonight for a quick and easy supper.  It's one of Scott's faves.  To balance out the heat, I thought it would be nice for a cool sweet treat.  So I whipped up some Strawberry Tartlets.

I got a great deal on some mega sweet strawberries at the market and they were perfect for these tartlets.

I started with puff pastry.  You can find this flaky treat in the frozen section.  It's really easy to work with and goes great with just about anything.  Out of one sheet you can cut 9 equal squares.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place each square into a muffin cup.  This will form your flaky tart shell.  Bake 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare Strawberry Glace.

3 cups fresh whole strawberries, hulled, divided

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
Few drops red food coloring, optional

Mash 1 cup strawberries; set aside.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water and mashed berries. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in food coloring if desired. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes.

Then you can get started on your cream cheese filling.  This is my favorite part.  I could eat cream cheese every single day.  Just the thought of it makes me giddy.

Filling:
1 block softened cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  I like to pipe the filling so I add it to a plastic ziploc bag and snip the corner with my kitchen scissors.

The fun begins when you assemble these fun tarts!  Simply pipe the creamy filling.  Top with the strawberry Glace and a little whipped cream.  Garnish with fresh sliced strawberries.  Enjoy!