Srawberry Cream Tart

My mom used to make a killer strawberry pie. Neither one of us could find the original recipe but we could recall the basic ingredients. I played with them this weekend in the kitchen and this reminded me of that long forgotten pie.

Serves 8

Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 stick butter, cut into small chunks
1/3 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, put all of the crust ingredients and process until moist crumbs form. This can take up to 1 minute. Open the lid and squeeze a small amount, if it holds together you're good to go. If it still feels dry add 1-2 teaspoons cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time and process again. Dump the crust mixture into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into the bottom and sides of pan. If the dough sticks to your fingers, dust them with flour and continue. Place pan into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool
Strawberry Filling
4 cups sliced strawberries(reserve 2 cups for later)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup good quality strawberry perserves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup water
1 heaping tablespoon corn starch.
Place all ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium/high heat, stir to combine. Using a potato masher, mash the berries to combine with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Cook until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
Cream Filling
8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cups light sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 a package of unflavored gelatin
3-4 tablespoons cold water
Place the water and gelatin in a small bowl and let the gelatin bloom. Place the cream cheese and sour cream into a bowl. Combine with a mixer. Add the sugar, vanilla and bloomed gelatin. Continue to mix until combined.
To Assemble
Spread the cream mixture into the bottom of cooled crust. Pour the cooled strawberry filling over that. Top with reserved strawberry slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve about 2-3 hours.
Cook's Notes- Blooming the gelatin refers to placing the gelatin powder into cold water and letting the gelatin absorb some of the water. The gelatin will help the cream mixture to thicken slightly and will hold its shape when you go to cut the tart.