For a sweet finish to a Fourth of July meal, I like the looks of this rustic tart from Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill. It’s pretty simple as far as desserts go (the crust gets baked but the fruit stays raw), and the fresh preserves, orange zest, and tangy mascarpone cheese embellish the fruit just enough.  

Strawberries work beautifully for this, but any seasonal fruit like blueberries or peaches would work. Just substitute the fruit you’re using where strawberries are called for in the recipe.

Strawberry Tart with Mascarpone
(serves 8)

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and chilled
2 to 4 tbsp. ice water

Preserves
2 cups quartered ripe strawberries
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
¼ tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup mascarpone cheese
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 small orange
2 cups sliced strawberries, plus a few whole berries, hulled
Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)

To prepare the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and cut it in with a pastry blender or two knives until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap the disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

To prepare the preserves, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, cooking until the juices thicken to a jam-like consistency, 30 to 45 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit more upon cooling. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to ⅛-inch thick. Cut it into an 8 to 10-inch round, and place it on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Puncture the surface a few times with a fork, cover with parchment or foil, and place pie weights on top. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights, and return it to the oven. Cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Place the cooled crust on a flat surface. Mix the mascarpone, sugar, and orange zest together in a small bowl. Spread the mascarpone evenly in the cooled tart shell. Spread a thin layer of the cooled strawberry preserves on top.

Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the preserves, working in concentric circles from the outside in. Place a few whole berries in the center.

Pass a generous ¼ cup of the strawberry preserves through a fine strainer. Combine with 2 teaspoons water in a small saucepan, and warm over low heat, stirring, just until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the strawberries. Serve the tart at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.  

From the book FRANK STITT’S SOUTHERN TABLE: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill © 2004 by Frank Stitt. Adapted courtesy of Artisan.

Photo credit: Christopher Hirsheimer.