Flaming strawberry tarts and tablescape

Every year when I was growing up, I requested fresh strawberry pie for my birthday instead of cake.  It was a wonderful concoction of baked pie pastry filled with fresh strawberries and topped with seven minute icing.  I wanted to try bite sized pies (because I love my new little tart pans) and top them with flaming strawberries (because I like to play with fire). 

This is very easy and makes a knockout presentation.  I fit pie dough into tart pans that were sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  A note here - whenever I bake a pie crust without a filling, I generously prick the bottom, line it with foil, and fill with dried beans to avoid shrinkage.  Halfway through the baking, I remove the foil and beans.

After the tart shells had cooled, they popped right out of the pans.  I filled each one with a sliced strawberry.

Top with seven minute frosting, Italian meringue, or if you had a week of migraines like me, marshmallow fluff.  All choices are gooey and good. 

Now its time to play with the fire.  Take a whole strawberry, cut out the stem, and hollow it out just a bit.  Pour a little orange extract in the hollow, place it on the tart, and light it up.

I have a really old and simplistic camera, so catching the flame was not easy.  You will have to take my word for it - really beautiful.  I'm a sucker for anything you can flambe.

Really bad picture, but you get the idea.  I was so hoping to do a dessert and coffee in the garden for this, but south central PA can't seem to get a break from the rain.  Instead, I set up shop in my dining room.  I also made strawberry and strawberry blossom sugar cookies.

I didn't have a strawberry cookie cutter, so I used a heart and the end of a magic wand cutter and put the two together.

Love these Goodwill purchases.  The taller one is a hobnail vase and I put a tiny plate on it.

I didn't have a runner that looked good with the colorscheme, so I just wove one out of ribbon.  I have an Offray factory outlet nearby and the last time I was there, I got a GARBAGE BAG full of beautiful ribbon for $3.11. 

I hope you try these because they really are good, and fast, and easy, and present wonderfully in person.

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