The month of May means strawberries galore in Provence. We think one can never get enough strawberries. Let's celebrate and make a simple, but delicious Provençale Tarte aux Fraises.

For this recipe you can either use a pre-made pie crust for convenience and rapidity, or you can make a homemade shortbread crust for a more homemade touch. 

Tarte aux Fraises

INGREDIENTS

Mascarpone Cream Base:
    •    ¾ cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat)
    •    ½ cup mascarpone cheese
    •    ⅓ cup powdered sugar
    •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from ½ a vanilla bean

Decoration and Finishing:
    •    About 1 ⅓ pounds fresh strawberries

Start by baking your crust and letting it cool completely

Mascarpone Whipped Cream
    1.    Place the mascarpone, heavy cream, and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer).
    2.    Scrape the seeds from the half vanilla bean and add them in (or add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract).
    3.    Whip everything together using the whisk attachment (or an electric mixer).
Watch carefully: mascarpone sometimes sticks to the bottom of the bowl, so pause and gently mix with a spatula if needed to make sure it’s evenly incorporated before continuing.
    4.    Once whipped, if you’re not assembling the tart immediately, refrigerate the whipped cream to keep it firm.

Assembling the Strawberry Tart
    1.    Place the baked shortbread crust on your serving plate.
Make sure it is completely cooled — if it’s still warm, the whipped cream could melt.
    2.    Spread the mascarpone whipped cream over the crust with a spatula, or pipe it on using a piping bag fitted with a ⅓ inch (8 mm) round tip (purely aesthetic choice).
    3.    Chill the tart in the fridge while you prepare the strawberries (especially if it’s warm in your kitchen — this helps the whipped cream hold its shape).
    4.    Wash, drain, and halve the strawberries.
    5.    Arrange the strawberry halves over the mascarpone cream.
In the example, the strawberries are placed upright to fit more strawberries onto the tart, but you can arrange them however you like

Enjoy!