With the Memorial Day long weekend and summer barbecuing season just around the corner, I knew it was time to come up with a quick and easy dessert that won't leave you chained to the stove while your guests are frolicking in the backyard and drinking your watermelon mojitos. "Quick and easy" are not the only redeeming characteristics of this puff pastry dessert. It also highlights the fresh flavors of lemon and berries. And they're so darn pretty that your friends will think you slaved for hours...and then they'll pour you a double mojito to reward your long and enduring effort. Not too shabby.
Simply cut six circles out of a puff pastry sheet and pop them in the oven. About 10 minutes later, the pastry circles will be light and flaky, with a golden brown sheen. Spoon some mascarpone cheese, lemon curd and milk into a bowl and whip them together until you have a light and creamy mixture to spread over the flaky circles. Top with some fresh berries, and these pretty desserts are ready to serve.
The puff pastry tart recipe:
The rest:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface lightly roll out puff pastry. Using a 3 ¾-inch round biscuit cutter, or the rim of a glass or bowl, cut out 6 circles from the puff pastry. Lay the circles on the prepared baking sheet.
Lightly brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg.
Bake until puffed and light golden brown, about 10 minutes. As soon as the puff pastry is removed from the oven, lightly press it down with the back of a spatula so that the surface of each round is flat.
Lift the puff pastry pieces from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks.
Lemon Mascarpone:
Into a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, lemon curd and milk.
Using a hand mixer, beat until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth.
Assembly:
Spread a heaping tablespoon of the lemon mascarpone on each puff pastry round. Divide the berries evenly between the rounds.
Garnish with some lemon zest. Serve.
Other recipes for Memorial weekend:
Cookin' Canuck's Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream Pie with Hazelnut Crust
Cookin' Canuck's Blackberry & Strawberry Crisp with Gingersnap Crumble
Evil Shenanigans' Dark Chocolate Chip Pavlova with Strawberry Whipped Cream
She Wears Many Hats' Strawberry Tart
Two Peas and Their Pod's Mini Fruit Pizzas
Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Mascarpone & Fresh Berries
Ingredients
Lemon Mascarpone:
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup lemon curd homemade or from a jar
The Rest:
- 1 sheet purchased puff pastry defrosted
- 1 egg whisked
- ½ cups sliced fresh strawberries
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
Lemon Mascarpone:
- Into a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, lemon curd and milk.
- Using a hand mixer, beat until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth.
The Rest:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface lightly roll out puff pastry. Using a 3¾-inch round biscuit cutter, or the rim of a glass or bowl, cut out 6 circles from the puff pastry. Lay the circles on the prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg.
- Bake until puffed and light golden brown, about 10 minutes. As soon as the puff pastry is removed from the oven, lightly press it down with the back of a spatula so that the surface of each round is flat.
- Lift the puff pastry pieces from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks.
Assembly:
- Spread a heaping tablespoon of the lemon mascarpone on each puff pastry round.
- Divide the berries evenly between the rounds.
- Garnish with some lemon zest. Serve.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Heidi @ Bits of Sunshine
I love the lemon/mascarpone combo tangy and smooth, I really likes these! So glad i found ur blog!
Jamie
Beautiful! And what a perfect summer dessert - simple yet elegant as well.
OrangAkaun
I'm sharing this on my blog's Daily Foodporn with proper backlink. Keep up your good work.
Carolyn
So pretty, Dara. And a nice, easy dessert to put together, that's my style!
Kristen
I love this recipe - so simple and scrumptious for a summer holiday!
Jen @ Savory SImple
Perfect for my next party!
Cassie
Can I make these the night before? Thanks
Lori @ RecipeGirl
These are beautiful for our red, white and blue holidays. Definitely a more elegant look than many of the artificially red, white and blue desserts out there 🙂
Deborah
I love recipes that are so easy, but super impressive. These are gorgeous!
Jen at The Three Little Piglets
Those are just gorgeous! And while I would love to eat the lemon mascarpone all by itself, I can think of about a million other ways to use it.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I love how light they look! I always see mascarpone at the store and always think I should get some, but I don't know why. Now I know! Combining it with lemon curd sounds wonderful. I hope you have a nice Memorial Day. 🙂
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
These little tarts are so adorable, Dara! Love them for a spring or summer party. In fact, I have a couple coming up where these would be just perfect to bring!
Lauren
Looks terrific! Seems so easy to make too!