Amongst the anxiousness and worry that abounds in every city across the globe this weekend, let us eat things that make us happy, and while we’re at it, spend time making creative baked goods that do the same (and then, eating those too). After making a tough call to not to do our first farmers market booth as Sisters Sans Gluten (live! out in the real world!) in an effort to keep those most vulnerable around us safe, I realized today is/was Pi Day, and that was definitely something worth celebrating. Next, I realized that if I were to exit our downtown San Francisco apartment and make my normally-easy trip to the Whole Foods five blocks away, I would undoubtedly face frenzied crowds that would make 4am Black Friday shoppers shake in their Uggs, so I resolutely pledged to stay indoors for the entirety of Saturday and make do with whatever I happened to find in the cupboards.
Thankfully, as a frequent baker and an even more frequent cook, we have more food items (and pots and pans and food photography props and cake decorating tools) than my boyfriend thinks befits our modest kitchen. I, personally, like to challenge the load limit of our fridge and cupboard shelves – so far they’re holding up great and there’s always a teeny bit of room for that extra ingredient or second grocery store run of the day. So, while bundling up to properly match the rain and gloom blanketing SF, I mulled over what combos of fruit/nuts/flours/dairy products I could whip up into some sort of reasonably edible pie to celebrate this minor but very much needed (right now) holiday, and I came up with this monstrosity: the gluten free strawberry rose cheesecake tart with a buttery pistachio crust. Thank goodness for leftover pistachios from the last batch of pistachio snow cookies and pistachio raspberry rose Swiss roll, and to the heaps of strawberries that Guanlin brought over for a dinner-in (thanks to covid-19) two nights ago. And those two packs of cream cheese I thought about using in last week’s sour cream lemon poppyseed drizzle cake. You never know when you might need those extra ingredients, so why not stock up whenever you can!
But really, this “pie” (close enough) turned out pretty darn well, with the best buttery pistachio-y crust (thinking about making some pistachio shortbread now…), a classic, silky cheesecake filling, and loads of floral, rose-water-laden strawberry and raspberry compote to top it off. And when you’re stuck at home for the foreseeable future, why not go the extra mile and throw on some extra strawberries for a bit of decorative flare. Back in high school when I was a proud member of MuAlfaTHeta (math honors society…), the best activity all year was commandeering the school cooking class kitchen and baking dozens of chocolate, blueberry, lemon, and pecan pies to sell for our one yearly fundraising on, you guessed it, pi day. Here’s to weathering global pandemics one pie at a time – stay safe and wash your hands, folks!
Gluten Free Rose Strawberry Cream Tart with a Pistachio Crust
Equipment
- 10-inch tart pan
- Medium sauce pan or large frying pan
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/4 Cup ground unsalted unroasted pistachios blitz up in a food processor until flour-like
- 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 Cup gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup salted butter chilled
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Filling:
- 1 3/4 Cup cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 Cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest
For the topping:
- 4 Cups chopped, hulled strawberries
- 1/4 Cup powdered freeze dried raspberries blitzed up in a food processor then sifted
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp rose water
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 2 tsp water
- Extra strawberries for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with butter or cooking spray, then set aside. First, make the crust. Blitz up the unsalted, unroasted pistachios until they resemble flour, then mix the 1 1/4 cup ground pistachios with the arrowroot starch, 1-1 flour mix, sugar, and salt. Cut the chilled butter into cubes and knead the butter into the dry ingredients with your hands (or use a food processor) until the mixture comes together into a ball. Add the 1 egg yolk and mix together until fully combined. Press the crust mixture into the tart pan, evenly covering the bottom and sides. Bake tart for 15 minutes, then let cool completely before filling.
- While the crust is cooling, make the filling. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together all of the filling ingredients until smooth and creamy. Once the crust is completely cool, pour the filling into the crust and bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is firm and does not jiggle. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- While the tart is baking, make the topping! In a medium saucepan or a large frying pan, heat the chopped strawberries, the sifted freeze dried raspberry powder (so no seeds remain), lemon juice, sugar, and rose water. Cook on medium low heat, constantly stirring, until strawberries release juices and the liquid cooks down/becomes thicker (about five minutes. Lower heat to a simmer, then mix the cornstarch and water in a small cup or bowl, and pour into the pan. Turn up heat to medium high and stir quickly until juices become thicker. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Once tart and topping are cooled, spoon the strawberry compote on top of the cheesecake filling and spread to the edges (it will be a fairly thick layer) – you can also wait to spoon the topping onto each slice once the cheesecake is served! If you're going for overall presentation, spoon over the full tart, then slice extra strawberries thinly and layer on top as pictured. Remove from tart pan carefully (crust will be a bit fragile and may stick – use toothpicks to poke around edges), plate, and chill or freeze until ready to serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your tart!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
