Healthy up your Brunch with #CAStrawberries - recipe and wine pairing #IFBC2017

Easy Strawberry tart recipe

Strawberries are beautiful and delicious, but did you know they are healthy too?  My eyes were opened at the recent #IFBC2017 in Sacramento, where the California Strawberry folks schooled me.

For example, did you know eight gorgeous strawberries will provide 110% of your recommended daily dose of Vitamin C, 5% of your daily value for potassium, plus 3 grams of fiber and antioxidants galore?  And if you're trying to bump up your folate intake with leafy greens and beans, strawberries can also contribute to your efforts there. Deliciously.  Lots of health benefits come from eating just 8

Eight Strawberries a day are a delish way to eat better

strawberries a day.

Look for berries that are red all the way up the berry. Plan to use them right away or if you know you can't,  place the entire clam shell package in the fridge.

That knowledge and a gorgeous package of perfectly ripe California strawberries inspired me to create a tasty and easy brunch treat that pairs well with one of my favorite sparkling wines:  Napa Sparkling Wine (more on that later, but feel free to click the link if you cannot wait---I never can).

It's easy to make.  Basically get frozen puff pastry, your favorite strawberry Greek yogurt; I used Chobani. some heavy whipping cream, an egg, sparkling sugar and of course beautiful strawberries.

Strawberry Yogurt Breakfast Tart
1 package frozen puff pastry
Egg for egg wash
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 5 oz container Strawberry Greek yogurt
Sparkling sugar (optional)
1 tbsp fruit preserves (optional)

First, spread out the puff pastry into a rectangle that will fit on a 1/4 baking sheet.  Score a border of an inch or so across all four sides of the puff pastry to create an inner rectangle.

Score carefully and try not to cut through the puff pastry, but if you do. it's easy to cover that up with the yogurt cream.  Take a fork and pierce the entire area of the inner rectangle that the border surrounds  Leave the border itself  unpierced.  This will let the border puff while the docked area will lay flatter and form a base for the tart filling.

Beat the egg in a small dish and when the yolk and white are completely mixed, brush on the border with a pastry brush,  This will make the border shiny when baked,  I also sprinkle sparkling sugar on the border to make it extra fancy, but you can skip that step if you don't have the sparkling sugar.

Bake according to puff pastry directions or if there are none for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  After the tart shell has cooled,  whip about 1/4 cup of the the cream into soft peaks.  You can add sugar and/or vanilla or not; I usually do.  Open the yogurt container and stir to loosen it up and makes it smooth and consistent. Lighten the yogurt with the whipped cream by folding the whipped cream gently right into the yogurt container.  If you want to avoid cream, you can skip this step and just use strawberry yogurt. Go ahead and carefully slice the strawberries into 1/8 inch slices.  You can be super careful if you want the tart to look perfect or less so if you, like me, prefer the rustic "Yes! I did make this myself" look  Once the tart shell is cool, spread an even layer of the yogurt cream onto the tart.  Then layer the strawberries in a tight pattern on top.  You can microwave a few teaspoons of preserves with water for 20 seconds to create a glaze you can brush onto the strawberry slices or serve immediately as is.
Either way, serve immediately. Served warm, the crispy. puff pasty cuddles the lightened yogurt and sliced strawberries  It cools quickly and takes on an almost custardy texture. So have your sparkling wine chilled and ready to pop open.

Speaking of sparkling wine.  I would recommend a sparkling wine with a touch of sweetness and generous fruitiness.  NV Cuvée M, Mumm Napa, California ($24) This wine itself has a lovely color--pale gold warmed by peach.  With a touch of creaminess in the mouth feel, it's a great match for the yogurt cream. I get flavors of strawberry, stone fruit and a hint of toast. These act as bridge ingredients for both the strawberries and the puff pastry.  The residual sweetness (RS) is listed as 3% coming from a dosage of a proprietary blend of late harvest wines.  The sweetness is a good match too.  

After the fires, things are settling down, but the beauty of Napa wine will not be diminished.  NV Cuvée M can be ordered here and is widely distributed via Wine.com and BevMo.  Of course nothing beats seeing for yourself in person, so feel free to plan a visit with your brunch and bubbles loving gal pals here

This is the second of my three required posts for the International Food Blogger Conference

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