I was looking for the perfect ending to our Easter dinner – something fresh and representative of spring. The other caveat was that I was in search of something not loaded with calories. This bright tasty recipe from Cooking Light for Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart fit the bill all the way around. I made it exactly as the recipe directs except for adding a splash of Amaretto to the glaze (because that’s how I roll) and next time, I would use the full 8 oz package of cream cheese. It was all I was hoping for to end our holiday dinner – and at only 235 calories, far fewer calories than that bag of Easter candy I’d been eyeing all morning.
strawberry-almond cream tart
Author: Cooking Light
Serves: 10
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 36 honey graham crackers (9 sheets)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 4 tsp water
- Cooking spray
FILLING:
- 8 ounces ⅓-less-fat cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
TOPPING:
- 6 cups small fresh strawberries, hulled and divided
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
To prepare crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly.
- Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and 4 teaspoons water; pulse just until moist.
- Place cracker mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan lightly coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to ¾ inch.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling:
- Combine cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.
To prepare topping:
- Place 2 cups strawberries in food processor, and process until smooth.
- Combine strawberry puree, ⅔ cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir with a whisk.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute.
- Remove glaze from heat. Stir in a splash of Amaretto if desired. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Combine the remaining 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat.
- Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling.
- Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use).
- Sprinkle nuts around edge.
- Cover and chill 3 hours.