Strawberry Cheesecake Tart

A sugar cookie crust is filled with a tangy-sweet no-bake cheesecake filling and topped generously with strawberries. I can't think of a better summer dessert! You only need to turn your oven on to bake the crust, but if you're in one of those areas experiencing a heat wave or it's just too hot to think of using the oven, you could even skip this step if you use a graham cracker crust or crushed vanilla wafer crust.



It is best served the same day it is made, although you can make the dough and filling in advance and/or bake the crust in advance and fill the tart the day it will be served.

For the beautiful topping, the strawberry slices are layered on top, starting with from the outside edge and working inwards. This tart definitely has a "wow factor" when you serve it. The layering of the strawberries looks more complicated than it really is.



Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
9" tart | adapted from Nick Malgieri and Allrecipes.com

Crust (Nick Malgieri)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 6 pieces
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cold water

Filling (Allrecipes.com)
1 stick (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
2 pints strawberries, sliced

Glaze
1/4 cup strawberry jam
1 tbsp water

Crust:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse 3-4 times to mix. Add the butter and pulse 10-12 times to mix the butter in finely. Add the egg and water and pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a ball.

2. Invert the bowl to a lightly floured work surface and carefully remove the blade. Form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or up to 3 days.

3. Line a 9" fluted tart pan with the dough and prick all over with a fork to avoid bubbling or fill with pie weights. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-20 minutes or until light golden brown and fully baked. Cool fully.

Filling:
1. Beat together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and zest until smooth and lump-free. Spread evenly over cooled crust and arrange sliced strawberries on top in a decorative pattern.

Glaze:
1. Heat together jam and water. Brush over the strawberries. Refrigerate until serving time.