Brown Butter Maple Tartelettes with Honey Ricotta Mousse and Stewed Strawberries (GF)

The inspiration for these tartelettes struck when I happened upon the Little Loaf's recipe for brown butter, maple syrup, and almond flour tart shells. I am always on the hunt for good gluten-free recipes, and while I have had a lot of success with La Tartine Gourmande's wheat-less tart crusts, I thought I might give this simple 4-ingredient recipe a shot. With a freezer full of hand picked strawberries, I decided to fill my tart shells with a light honey ricotta mousse - the perfect base for a generous dollop of sweet strawberry compote. The intense buttery maple crust pairs well with the subtle fluffy filling, and the final addition of bright sticky strawberries make these little tarts the perfect summer dessert.

Brown Butter Maple Tartelettes (GF)

with 

Honey Ricotta Mousse and Stewed Strawberries

Makes 6 tart shells and 4 filled tarts 
Ingredients 

     Brown Butter Maple Tart Shells

          70 g butter

          90 ml maple syrup

          175 g almond flour

          Pinch of salt

     Ricotta Honey Mousse

          1 cup ricotta or farmer cheese

          1/4 cup honey

          1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

     Strawberry Compote

          1 pint strawberries (fresh or frozen)

          1/2 cup sugar

          3/4 cup water

          2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with a couple tablespoons of cold water until dissolved)

Directions

     Brown Butter Maple Tart Shells

Preheat the oven to 350˚F and grease 6 small tartlette tins - I used miniature quiche tins, which are the same just with a slightly higher rim. 

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and cook until it is foamy and the milk solids begin to brown. It will develop a distinctively nutty scent. Pour it into a bowl and set it aside to cool.

Mix together the almond flour, maple syrup, cooled butter, and salt.

Divide the dough amongst the tins and press evenly across the bottom and up against the sides of the tins.

Prick the tarts with a fork and set on a tray in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the tart shells from the oven. They will have bubbled up slightly so use the back of a teaspoon to press them back down and prick the shell bottoms again. Return the shells to the oven and bake them for another 8 minutes. They should be golden and firm. 

Remove the shells from the oven and set aside to cool completely. 

     Ricotta Honey Mousse

Mix together the ricotta and honey until well combined.

Whisk the whipping cream into soft peaks and then fold it into the ricotta mixture. 

Refrigerate until the tarts are ready to be filled.

This makes enough for about 4 little tarts.

     Strawberry Compote

In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, cook the strawberries, sugar, and water until bubbling slightly with a lid on. Turn the heat down slightly and remove the lid. Allow the strawberries to cook for at least ten minutes, until they are soft and starting to fall apart. The length of cooking time will vary depending on whether you are using fresh or frozen strawberries.

Add the dissolved cornstarch mixture and mix into the strawberries to thicken them.

Set aside to cool.

     Assembling the Tartelettes

Assemble the tartelettes just before serving so that they don't get soggy. Scoop a little under a quarter cup of ricotta mousse into each tart shell and distribute evenly.

Spoon a generous dollop of strawberry compote over each tart. Any leftover strawberry compote can be refrigerated for later use - it's delicious just served over yogurt or ice cream!

Serve and enjoy!