Strawberry Kiwi Tartlets
Some things belong together.
Bacon and eggs.
Peas and carrots.
Peanut butter and jelly honey.
Strawberry and kiwi.
You know it’s true.
As a recent curd-convert I started to wonder if I could throw in other fruits. I’ve seen mango curd, passion fruit, other citrus. But I’ll admit I’ve never seen a kiwi curd.
It always makes me nervous when a google search for a recipe idea yields practically nothing. I wonder, is the fact that no one has done this before mean it’s just not doable?
And after my first failed attempt at kiwi curd, I was beginning to think that was the case. There was talk of phantom enzymes in kiwis that resulted in odd flavors or soupy textures (and apparently, an enzyme does exist in both pineapple and kiwi that will not set in gelatin—in case you were wondering why there has never been a kiwi jello).
That first batch, in addition to being a soupy mess, also tasted like the inside of a tin can, despite the fact that it did not touch a spec of metal (I cooked it in a glass bowl with a silicone whisk). I think I’ve pinpointed the culprit as a particular type of lemon, as we had a batch of hollandaise come out tasting equally metallic.
My second batch, luckily, was more fortunate. Increasing the proportions of egg to kiwi helped the curd thicken beautifully, and switching to the sweeter Meyer lemon eliminated any residual metallic taste.
I’ll admit – the curd does not taste much like kiwi. It wouldn’t have even been that green if I didn’t add one drop of green food coloring to it (call me a cheater if you will, but I wanted lime green curd, gosh darnit!)
However, strong kiwi flavor or not, when poured inside a tangy lemon shortbread crust and topped with slices of perfectly ripe strawberry, it makes for a tart and refreshing—and visually stunning—dessert. Fruit and lemon lovers rejoice—this is the dessert for you.
Me? I’ll stick to chocolate for now.
Strawberry Kiwi Tartlets
Yield: 6 small tartlets or 1 9-inch tart
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For Crust:
7 ounces lemon shortbread cookies or vanilla cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugarFor Kiwi Curd:
3/4 cup kiwi puree (from 3-4 kiwis)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons meyer lemon juice
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
green food coloring, optionalstrawberries, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a food processor, pulse cookies until very finely ground. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. Add melted butter and sugar and pulse until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into six small (3 3/4-inch) tartlet pans or one 9-inch tart pan. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly golden. If crust has puffed, carefully press bottom back into place using a spoon or flat-bottomed glass. Cool completely.
For kiwi curd, strain kiwi puree through a fine mesh sieve. Reserve seeds and set aside. Combine puree with sugar and lemon juice in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Beat eggs together with egg yolks, then add to kiwi mixture. Add butter and stir over medium-low heat until butter is melted and curd thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let it boil. Add one drop of green food coloring, if desired for a more vibrant color. Press curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits. If desired, add kiwi seeds back to curd, stirring until evenly distributed.
Divided curd among prepared crusts; refrigerate until set, at least 1 to 2 hours. Top with strawberry slices.
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Curds of all kinds are never a sad thing. And kiwi curd just topped the list of “must make curds”.
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I was never a huge kiwi fan, but these tarts are gorgeous!
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These pictures are beautiful, Lindsay! Strawberry & Kiwi together forever.
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There does seem to be all kinds of fruit curds out there theses days. This is my first time seeing a kiwi curd though. Looks lovely- I especially love the flecks of kiwi seeds in the tarts, very pretty and eye catching. Can’t wait to make this one!
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Beautiful pictures! Love the green against the red (:
Shame it doesn’t have a strong kiwi flavour, but maybe you will enjoy it more then.. would love to make these ones!
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these are gorgeous..i love strawberry and kiwi together!
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completely stunning! You can have your chocolate- I’ll take these :)
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WOW these are insanely gorgeous! I love the kiwi-strawberry flavor combo. Great idea!
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Kiwi curd…now that sounds amazing! Gorgeous pics & recipe!
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These are gorgeous !!! Book marking for when I need an impressive (and pretty) dessert!
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A match made in heaven, you are absolutely correct. These are stunning!
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Kiwi curd… Awesome!
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Wow, absolutely stunning! The last photo is perfection!
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These are beautiful, I love the neoun color, and the flavor combination!
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I can’t get over how pretty they look! And surely are delicious!
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Strawberry and kiwi are prefect together! Love the colors! (And using food coloring is totally not cheating!)
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These sound so delicious, and the colors are sensational, yum!
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So pretty! Kiwi isn’t a fruit I think of cooking with particularly often so I love this idea!
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I’m sure you can make your perfect kiwi curd, just don’t give up. In the meantime, this sounds yummy even if it’s not totally kiwi flavored!
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These look like so much fun! I have been seeing curds and tarts popping up all over the internet, looks like its time to give some a try!
I totally love strawberry kiwi- it was always my favourite frozen yogurt flavour!
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cuteee! i love the kiwi strawberry combo!
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Gorgeous! I have yet to bake anything with those two together.
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How random, just today I realized I have 3 lonely kiwis that I need to use. Obviously I could just eat them, but I have it in my brain to make a dessert with them, gosh darnit! And I might use a touch of green food coloring too, because I want green curd too!
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These look good enough to eat, haha, and make, even if they do not contain chocolate. Just love the crumbs on the wooden back drop.
One of best photos ever……
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Your pictures are beautiful!
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So beautiful and the colors are lovely!
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Way to class up the kiwi, and make a beautiful dessert!
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that looks so refreshing and summery. yum!
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It certainly is “strawberry” season here in Tennessee isn’t it. The farmer’s markets and pick-your-own gardens are having a bumper crop. Lovely use of these little jewels.
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Yum!! This looks fabolous! I love the combination of kiwi and strawberries.
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these are too freaking cute!
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I totally cheat with food coloring too when I’m making blood orange bars. I want them to be bright and bold… not a wimpy, soft pink :)
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I’m fascinated by the idea of kiwi curd, although it does seem a shame that the flavour doesn’t come through very strongly. Never mind, they look absolutely gorgeous!
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that looks so good and the presentation is superb!
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Gorgeous photos, these are so beautiful!
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These look amazing!!! Yum! Yum! If you’ve ever watched Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, every time a baker ttys to use kiwi is turns out not so good. Kudos for you for making it work!
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Prettiest tarts I’ve ever seen!
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The finished curd looks so beautiful with the little flecks all through it, even if it doesn’t taste strongly of kiwi.
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These are simply stunning Lindsay!!
P.S. I got an email today that your book is on it’s way to my house…like right now…I’m so excited!!
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You get such awesome ideas !! Fruits are my forever favorite stuff to eat.. and out of them strawberries and kiwis top!
U r just amazing !!
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wow. well these look fun!
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Love kiwi’s and strawberries together. Too bad the curd doesn’t have a strong kiwi flavor – still sounds delicious to me!
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They are absolutely gorgeous! I’ve had a couple of ideas that I couldn’t find online anywhere, only to find out that they aren’t on there because the idea didn’t work. But, I’ve also had a few things work as well!!
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So beautiful!
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MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
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Could the kiwi flavor be enhanced by using more kiwi?
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I made these yesterday for a graduation party and they were a HUGE hit!
The curd didn’t set well for me – so after waiting for several hours in the fridge, I put it back on the stove and added cornstarch in cream – which worked like a charm.
Oh, also for the crust, I used the shortbread crust from “Mini Pies: Adorable and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite Treats” so I could use my mini pie maker – which sped up the crust making process.
Anywho – excellent recipe! Thanks!
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Yumm kiwi curd! Good idea with the meyer lemons! I have never tried kiwi curd, but next time you should try strawberry curd, with kiwi slices! Super yumm :)
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These look divine! I would have never thought to make kiwi curd, but of course, it pairs naturally with strawberries. yumsies. :)
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I can easily see why you snagged yourself a book deal, this is genius!
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