STRAWBERRY-MERINGUE TART WITH WALNUT SHORTBREAD CRUST

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

CRUST

2/3 cup walnuts, chopped

� cup sugar, divided

� cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling dough)

� teaspoon salt

TART

3 extra large eggs, separated

3 to 4 cups sliced strawberries

� cup cornstarch or arrowroot

1� cups sugar, divided

� teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

� cup fresh lemon juice

For the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place walnuts plus 2 tablespoons sugar in food processor; process to powder with series of bursts. Add remaining sugar and butter; process 3 minutes more. Add flour and salt; process just until dough holds together. Press dough into flattened disc (if dough is too soft, chill for 20 minutes in refrigerator).

Gently press dough into (9-inch) tart pan with removable base; press dough down and ease dough into corners and up sides. Prick dough all over with fork. (Use extra dough to make sides thicker.)

Place sheet of parchment or foil in crust; weight it down with 2 cups pie weights or dried beans, and bake in lower third of oven 15 minutes. Remove parchment or foil and pie weights; continue baking crust until deep golden all over (10 to 12 minutes longer). Cool completely before filling.

For the tart: Separate eggs, placing yolks in small bowl and whites in large bowl; cover both bowls and set aside.

Place strawberries in medium-size saucepan. Without adding any liquid, cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat until soup-like (watch carefully so not to stick or burn); set aside.

Meanwhile, in larger saucepan, combine cornstarch or arrowroot, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and lemon zest. Stir in lemon juice, whisking until uniform.

Beat egg yolks until smooth, then drizzle yolks into cornstarch mixture, beating constantly. Continue beating mixture and slowly pour in hot strawberries and their liquid.

Place saucepan over medium heat; bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly (but not too fast) with wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool, about 30 minutes.

Pour cooled strawberry filling into tart shell, smoothing top with spatula. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy and beginning to stiffen. Sprinkle in � cup sugar and whisk to soft peaks. Add remaining � cup sugar; whisk again until shiny and very stiff peaks.

Transfer meringue to piping bag fitted with star tip. Pipe meringue over chilled strawberry filling. Bake in preheated oven until meringue is delicately browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve at room temperature.

Mollie Katzen for California Walnut Board

Nutrition facts per serving: 608 calories, 27 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 146 mg cholesterol, 89 g carbohydrates, 63 g sugars, 8 g protein, 330 mg sodium, 3 g fiber