Pecan Shortbread Strawberry Tart

Pecan Shortbread Strawberry Tart

First, let me say that I keep fruit compotes…blueberry, strawberry, apple, usually….around the house a lot. We use a tablespoon or two mixed with vanilla yogurt to eat by itself, or use as a dip for other fruits. To make a fruit compote, I simply mix cut-up fruit with an appropriate amount of organic sugar, and sometimes, as in the case of apples, I add spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.

To make the strawberry compote that I used in this recipe, I cut up two quarts of strawberries, added about 1.5 cups organic sugar, and cooked until very soft and mushy…probably 25-30 minutes. You have to stir regularly to keep from sticking, and just keep an eye on it. Once it’s cooked sufficiently, I use either a potato masher (for courser fruit) or my immersion blender (for smoother blend) to further macerate the fruit. The two quarts of strawberries rendered a little more than a quart of compote. I store it in a mason jar in the fridge. It actually lasts a long time…although we usually eat it up pretty fast.

For the shortbread crust

13 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

½ cup organic sugar (you can add a tablespoon or so for some extra sweetness)

½ tsp. pure almond extract

1 ½ cups unbleached AP organic flour

1 cup finely ground pecans (separate out ¼ cup)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar.  Add the almond flavoring. 

Meanwhile measure out the flour, salt, and ¾ cups of the ground pecans. Whisk together well. When the butter and sugar are thoroughly mixed, begin to add the flour mixture a cup or so at a time until thoroughly mixed together. The dough may look a little grainy and loose, but no matter.  

 Measure out about a half cup of the dough mixture and just put it on a small plate and set it in the freezer. (this will be used for topping later.)  Put the rest of the dough mixture into a 9 inch tart pan or quiche pan and press into the bottom evenly and up the sides slightly. I use the bottom of an aluminum measuring cup to help in this process!

Spread about ¾ cup of the fruit compote or any kind of jam (more or less to taste) over the top of the crust. (Of course, then you'll have the rest of this wonderful compote to use in other delicious ways!)

Take the crust mixture you placed in the freezer earlier and mix well with the ¼ cup (more or less) of the pecans you saved earlier. It should be crumbly if you use a fork or whisk. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the compote or jam on the shortbread.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until crust is browned and fruit is set.