Strawberry white chocolate mousse tart

8 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
Pastry:
cupUnbleached Flour
¼cupFirmly Packed Light Brown
Sugar
teaspoonOrange Peel -- grated
teaspoonSalt
Sticks Unsalted Butter --
Chilled and cut in p
tablespoonFresh Orange Juice
1Egg Yolk
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
2ouncesImported White Chocolate
Mousse:
6ouncesImported White Chocolate
¼cupHeavy Cream
1largeEgg White -- at room
Temperature
1tablespoonSugar
½cupWhipping Cream -- whipped to
Stiff
Peaks
2tablespoonsGrand Marnier
1largeStrawberries -- with stems
25largesStrawberries -- hulled
½cupStrawberry Jam Or
Preserves*

Directions

For pastry: Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter and cut into mixture until it resembles fine meal. Blend orange juice with egg yolk and vanillla. Add enough juice mixture to dry imgredients to form ball that comes together.

Gather dough into a ball and flatten into roughly a 12 inch round.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Roll dough out between sheets of plastic wrap to ⅛ inch thickness. Trim to an 11 inch circle (use tart pan as guide). Remove plastic wrap from top and invert into a 10 inch round springform pan with removable bottom. Remove plastic wrap and press into bottom and up sides of pan... crimp top edges. Freeze for 15 minutes. Line tart shell with aluminum foil and weight with pie weights or beans. Bake until sides are set - about 10 minutes. REmove foil and weights. Bake crust until golden brown - about 16-20 minutes. Sprinkle two ounces of white chocola te over hot crust. Let stand for about 1 minute.

Using the back of a spoon, spread chocolate over bottom and up sides.

Transfer to rack to cool.

For mousse: Melt white chocolate with ¼ C heavy cream in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Pour into bowl. Let stand until just cool. Beat egg white in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whipped cream, 1 tbsp. liqueuer, and egg white into chocolate mixture. Spoon mousse into prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Refrigerate until mousse is set (2 hours or overnight (can be made ahead and frozen at this point)).

To assemble: Fan all strawberries by making several legthwise cuts in each, starting ¼ inch from base and extending through the tip. Fan with fingertips. Bring jam and remaining 1 tbsp. liqueuer to a boil in a heavy small saucepan, stirring constantly. Transfer to processor and puree. Brush thin layer of jam over mouse. Place 2 fanned strawberries with stems on opposing sides of mousse. Arrange smaller fanned strawberries atop artistically.

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