Strawberry, feta and balsamic tarts

Our social media manager Ella had great fun creating these gorgeous-looking tarts that make an ideal lunch, dinner, starter or even party food bite! The salty feta compliments the sweet strawberries amazingly well. They're easy to knock up but looks like you've made a real effort.

Serves 4-6

Serves 4-6

Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the macerated strawberries:

  • 300g strawberries, sliced
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • Few sprigs of thyme
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tartlets:

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 200g feta
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Handful of rocket, to serve

Cooking instructions

  • Start by macerating the strawberries. Mix the strawberries, sugar and vinegar together in a bowl. Pick in the thyme leaves, season well and mix again. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • Unroll the puff pastry sheet on the paper and use a sharp knife to cut into 8 equal rectangles.
  • Use the tip of the knife to score a 1cm border around the edge of each rectangle, being careful to not go all the way through the pastry – the filling may leak out any holes or tears.
  • Place on the lined tray and prick the middle sections (not the borders) all over with a fork to stop the pastry from puffing up too much.
  • Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and crumble in 150g of the feta. Season well and beat together to make a smooth cream.
  • Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the centre of each pastry.
  • Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl and brush the exposed pastry borders lightly to glaze.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is beautifully golden and crisp around the edges.
  • Allow to cool before topping with the rocket, macerated strawberries then crumbling over the remaining 50g of feta.