SALT LAKE CITY - Fox 13's Tamara Vaifanua joined Smith's Chef Jeff Jackson to make homemade strawberry "Pop-Tarts."
Homemade Strawberry “Pop-Tarts”
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Filling:
2 c. strawberries, stemmed and quartered
½ c. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Pastry:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ c. butter, cold and cut into tbsp. size pieces
For the Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Rainbow colored sprinkles *optional*
Directions
Make the filling by putting the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and orange juice in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently, and using a potato masher or a fork, smash the strawberries as best you can. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the pastry by putting the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse to mix. Start dropping the butter in a few pieces at a time and pulse until coarse crumbs begin to form. Once all the butter is in, add the sour cream and continue pulsing until the mixture begins to clump together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead with a little extra flour until the dough is no longer sticky. To make a more flaky crust, using your palm, flatten the dough. Fold the dough onto itself twice and repeat the flattening process. Do the folding and flattening process one or two more times.
Cut the dough into 2 even pieces and put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Put the dough onto a floured surface. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, use a rolling pin to roll each disk into a rectangle roughly 9”x12”. If you like it more precise, you can use a pizza cutter to make straight edges. Using the pizza cutter, cut the rectangle into 3rds that are about 3”x4”. After this process, using both dough balls, you should have 6 rectangle dough pieces.
In a small bowl, make the egg wash, by whisking together the egg and water. Put 1 dough piece on a parchment covered sheet. Spread out 1 heaping tbsp. of filling on the dough not going completely to the edge. Brush the edges with egg wash, than place the second dough piece on top. Crimp the edges with a fork. Using a sharp knife, make a few vent cuts into the top of the tart. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough. Once finished place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400 and brush each tart with egg wash to cover the surface. Place in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Spread the glaze over cooled tarts and add sprinkles if desired.
