Strawberry Shortbread Pizza

The first sight of seasonal strawberries in the store triggers thoughts of dessert. My thoughts wander between strawberry shortcake or a classic fruit tart with a custard filling but this year I was introduced to strawberry pizza. The recipe below is credited to cuisine at home that attempted to replicate a strawberry pizza famous at the Oxnard strawberry festival held in California. The festival website has strawberry recipes listed and mentions the famous strawberry pizza. Apparently people wait in long lines for a sliver of this pizza. However, as noted on the website the recipe for the original is top secret, which leads to copy cat versions as listed on their website and from cuisine at home. Having not been to the festival I can not judge which of these is closest to the original. Suffice to say my love for shortbread lead me to the cuisine at home version.

The recipe is very simple and includes a shortbread cookie recipe. Any shortbread recipe will do but the addition of nuts and cinnamon must be part of the secret ingredients in the original recipe. Instead of a custard or cream cheese base this recipe adds mascarpone cheese which brings a rich flavor combination to the strawberries. This is a great way to bring something new to the entertaining table with your seasonal strawberries. The crunch of the cookie with the soft cheese and strawberry topping is a taste you will not forget.

A few quick notes before the recipe. I rushed this for an Easter brunch and did not add chocolate curls to the top. I simply grated the chocolate to save time. In retrospect, it would have looked better with some curls. Chocolate curls can be challenging but this video has some quick tips. I used orange juice instead of a liqueur as I did not think this recipe warranted the extra expense. In the future I might adapt the recipe by adding some lemon zest into the cookie mixture.

Recipe

Strawberry Pizza

Topping
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1/4 cup orange juice
1 lbs strawberries, sliced
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
dark chocolate
Whipped cream

Shortbread crust
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp table salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Shortbread Crust Preparation

1. Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Whisk together the flour, nuts, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 5 minutes in a medium bowl.

4. Slowly add half of the flour mixture mixing it at low speed until combined and continue to mix in remaining flour until fully incorporated.

5. Remove the dough onto the cookie sheet and spread out into an 11 inch circle. Bake the shortbread until the edges begin to brown at about 20-25 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet onto a rack and cool for 5 minutes and then chill in the freezer until cool for about 30 minutes,

Topping

6. Place the jam and orange juice into a blender (note you can use orange liqueur) and puree the mixture. Pour the puree into a saucepan and bring to a boil cooking for 1 minute. Pour mixture into a bowl and chill in refrigerator. Once cool mix in the slice strawberries.

7. Using a mixer on medium speed mix the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and fluffy (about 1 minute not more).

8. Spread the cheese mixture evenly across the shortbread pizza with a spatula. An icing spatula works well for this. Scoop the strawberries out with a slotted spoon and arrange until the top is completely covered. Add chocolate shavings or pieces on top of the pizza.

9. Cut the pizza into 8 slices with a chef knife and serve with whipped cream and remaining strawberries.