The tang of the goat cheese mouse works well with the buttery crust and whatever berries you have on hand.Stephanie Eddy/The Globe and Mail
You can, of course, buy berries year-round, but there's something special when the sweet, flavour-packed seasonal ones start appearing at farmer's markets and roadside stands. This buttery crust and bed of tangy goat cheese mousse works well with whichever berry – or combination of berries – you have on hand.
Servings: Makes 6 tarts
Ready Time: 2 hours, includes chilling time
Crust
1 cup (145 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup very cold water
Filling
3/4 cup whipped cream
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tbsp icing sugar
Topping
2/3 cup blueberries
2/3 cup raspberries
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
Method
To make the dough for the crust, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the pieces of butter are roughly pea-sized.
Pulse in the water, one or two tablespoons at a time, until the dough sticks together when pinched. It’s likely you will not need all of the water, and the dough will still look crumbly but should hold together when squeezed. To keep the crust tender and flaky, do not overwork the dough or add too much water.
Dump out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and press into a square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for an hour.
The filling can be made up to two days ahead of time, or while the dough is chilling in the fridge. To make the filling, whip the whipping cream until stiff and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the goat cheese, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture until thoroughly combined. Taste the mixture, and if you prefer it sweeter, then fold in the remaining tablespoon of icing sugar. Next, gently fold the remaining whipped cream in. If you’re making the mousse ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.
When the dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350 F. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper into a rectangle roughly 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut the dough into three-by-three-inch squares – you should have 6 squares total. Place the squares on a baking tray and pinch or fold the dough around the edges to form a small lip all the way around the square. Place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes or until the dough is firm. Prick the squares all over with a fork and bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool the squares on a wire rack until completely cool.
Spoon or pipe the mousse onto each square and top with the blueberries, raspberries and strawberry slices and serve immediately.