Tess, Narva Lee, and Elizabeth

Yesterday, I was at home, working on our Romancing the Home Entertaining book that is coming out this fall. Part of the book is a collection of tried and true recipes gathered together from family and friends. Since my best friend, Lynda, is helping me with it, and we have cooked together and shared recipes for over 30 years, it's not surprising that her mom's, my mom's, and my mother in law's recipes show up quite often. They never really met each other, yet they are tied together now forever through this cookbook. I am determined to get a good picture of Lynda's mom, Tess's, Strawberry Tart for the cookbook, as it is a recipe that is used often. We have adapted it to all different types of berries, but today I am using the original version, Tess's version, Strawberry. Tess made a pie, but Lynda and I like to make it into a tart. As I am making the tart, I reflect on these women and their influence on our lives. Still hard to believe, but they all passed away within 6 weeks of each other. But they are still with us everyday as we prepare their food. Try Tess's Strawberry Tart - it's a great summer dessert with the fresh berries readily available. Plan on seeing the entire book, Romancing the Home Entertains, in the store just in time for the holiday season. It's going to be a great gift for friends !

Tess's Strawberry Tart

Crust:

3 T. powdered sugar

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 c. flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the sugar, butter and flour together by hand until mixture resembles crumbs. Pat into a pie or tart pan with fingers, patting up sides as well. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until lightly browned. Take out and cool in pan.

Filling:

1 qt. Strawberries, cleaned and hulled

Glaze:

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

2 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 small pkg. strawberry Jello

Artfully arrange strawberries in cooled crust. Cook water, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the Jello, stirring to combine.

Pour the glaze over the strawberries in the crust and refrigerate until set. Remove the sides of the tart pan before serving.

Note: Any combination of fruits and flavors of jello can be used for this recipe. Raspberries and blueberries are delicious. Artfully arranging the fruit is a very important part of making a beautiful tart.