You’ve got to love a dessert that looks impressive, tastes unbelievable, but that’s actually quite simple to make. These juicy, sweet tartlets are exactly that. Baked, then filled with a creamy dulce de leche filling and topped with fresh strawberries and mangos, these little bites are ideal for a buffet or party, as you can fill a couple of hours before your guests arrive. (I have made these numerous times, especially for our cookbook signings!)
The dulce de leche is the secret ingredient that sets these tarts apart. It’s a milky marvel from south of the border and literally translates to milk jam. Dulce de leche looks and feels a lot like caramel, but the flavors are more complex and the sweetness is less overwhelming.
Here’s how to make them:
Gather 3-inch tarts tins.
Measure your dough ingredients.
In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar. Add cold butter and pulse several times. Add ice water slowly and pulse until dough holds together. Careful to not over-mix!
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Place tins on a cookie sheet.
Dice strawberries and mango.
Combine strawberries, mangos, sugar and refrigerate.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough.
Cut pastry dough slightly larger than tin.
Press crust onto bottom and up sides of pan and trim overhang.
Place tins on a cookie sheet and bake tartlets.
Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool before removing tarts.
Spread a dollop of dulce de leche.
Spoon strawberry and mango filling on each tart shell. For an added touch garnish with a mint leaf.
Ingredients
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Tartlet Shells
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1cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
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1tablespoon granulated sugar
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1/4teaspoon salt
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6tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
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1/4cup ice water
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Filling
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20fresh strawberries, diced
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1large ripe mango, seed removed, peeled and diced
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1tablespoon granulated sugar
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1can (13.4 ounce) dulce de leche (caramelized sweetened condensed milk)
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Fresh mint leaves, if desired
Directions
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1In covered food processor, process flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and the salt with on-and-off pulse to mix. Add cold butter; pulse several times. Slowly add ice water, pulsing until dough holds together. Do not over mix.
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2Place dough on lightly floured surface; gather dough into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
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3To make Filling, in medium bowl, gently toss strawberries, mango and 1 tablespoon sugar. Refrigerate.
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4To assemble tartlets, heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12 to 15 (3-inch) tart pans with cooking spray.
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5On floured surface, roll out dough with rolling pin. Cut dough into rounds slightly larger than pans. Press dough rounds in bottom and up side of each tart pan; trim any dough overhang. Place pans on cookie sheet.
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6Bake on center oven rack 15 to 20 minutes or until shells are light golden brown. Place cookie sheet on cooling rack; cool shells in pans.
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7Remove Tartlet Shells from pans. Spoon and spread dollop of dulce de leche in each shell. Add spoonful of strawberry-mango mixture to each. Garnish each with mint leaf.
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