LEMON BERRY MASCARPONE TART

A Lemon Berry Mascarpone Tart is a simple, delicious way to show off all the season’s best berries. A creamy mascarpone filling, a hint of fresh lemon, and four kinds of berries, all on top of a sweet shortbread crust!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 pound mascarpone cheese (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (plus more for garnish)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound fresh berries, washed, hulled, and sliced as desired

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare the crust, whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, using a standing mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated, being careful to not over mix. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Once the dough has chilled, press the dough into the tart pan and up the sides. Use a knife to score the edges and make them even at the top. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the edges begin to lightly brown. If it has puffed up a little during baking, just gently press it down when you remove from oven. Cool completely in pan.

To prepare the filling, combine the mascarpone, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Spread mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with berries. Garnish with lemon zest.

NOTES:

In the photos, I arranged the berries in a pretty design on top of the tart. But when I serve this tart, I top the whole tart with fresh berries so every slice gets a good mix of berries.