Strawberry Croissant Tart

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 425F. If you are using croissant dough, sort of spread it into the bottom of your tart pan. (A few minutes into cooking, you will have to sort of re-spread it to the edges of the pan.) Bake for about 10 minutes, or until it is quite golden brown. (If you are using regular pastry dough, bake it as you normally would, also until golden brown.) Remove the tart pan from the oven, and let the pastry cool completely.

2. 2

   Empty the heavy cream into a large bowl. Scrape the vanilla pods, and add the seeds to the bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it comes together. Add the cream cheese, and keep whisking, until you have a stiff cream. (You can do this a few hours ahead; cover the bowl and hold it in the fridge.)

3. 3

   Zest the lemon directly into a small bowl. Add the sugar a tablespoon or two at a time, rubbing the zest into the sugar as you go. You are looking for a resulting lemon sugar that isn't too wet; keep adding sugar until it's pretty dry.

4. 4

   Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush up the pistachios. Add some (or all, depending on your preference) of the lemon sugar, and toss together until the pistachios are evenly dusted.

5. 5

   Right before you put the tart together, wash, de-stem and halve the strawberries. You could toss them with a little sugar if you like. It isn't necessary, but this last step will give you a little strawberry juice, which is nice against the tart.

6. 6

   Putting it together: Spoon a generous half of the cream onto the tart. Add a layer of strawberries, and then the rest of the cream, and then the rest of the strawberries. Top with a sprinkling of the pistachios. Enjoy!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.