This terrific summer recipe comes to us from Ciao Italia’s legendary host, Mary Ann Esposito. Her show is now in it’s 20th season. She writes, “I am about to release my 11th cookbook, Ciao Italia Five Ingredient Recipes from an Italian Kitchen, St.Martins Press, New York. Your readers can pre-order book by going to www.ciaoitalia.com and clicking on the store page.” Congrats, May Ann!

Glazed Strawberry Tart
Makes one 9 x 1 inch tart in removable tart shell pan

Tart Shell Crust

1/2 cup sliced almonds (1.75 ounces)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (6 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond sugar powder (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Grated zest of one lemon
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen and grated
1 egg, plus plus 1 yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons strawberry rhubarb jam

Filling

2 quarts ripe strawberries, stems hulled, five berries cut in pieces, the rest left whole
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 lemon


Preheat oven to 425F

Whirl the almonds in a food processor until they are a fine consistency but still have a little texture.

Add the unbleached flour, salt, almond sugar powder, and lemon zest to the bowl of the processor and whirl until blended.

Add the butter and pulse several times. Add the egg and yolk gradually through the fed tube until a ball of dough begins to form.

Gather up dough; pat into a disk; cover and refrigerate until cold but not hard, about 40 minutes

Roll the dough out between flour dusted parchment paper to fit the tart
shell. Trim off excess dough. Bake the shell for 8-10  minutes or just until it begins to brown on the edges. Remove the shell from the oven and brush it with the jam. Set aside to cool completely.

When cool, arrange the berries in the shell to fill it completely. Set aside

Place the cut up berries in a small saucepan with one cup of water and bring to a boil. Press in the berries with a wooden spoon to smash them. Strain them through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Set aside. In the same saucepan combine the sugar and the cornstarch and mix well off the heat. Slowly add the strained juice and return to the flame. Squeeze in the lemon juice and cook the mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken.

Brush the berries with the glaze making sure to coat each berry well and allow the excess glaze to drip down between the berries.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving with a dollop of whipped cream.