About a year ago I was in a major tart mood and made tarts just about every week. I was fresh out of culinary school and was (briefly) considering developing a line of tarts at the time that I could sell to local coffee shops and the like. This was one of my favorite strawberry tarts that I created. I make my own tart shells, but you can always buy them instead. Now when I make shells, I make a lot and freeze what I don't use so that I nearly always have a bunch of shells of various sizes and shapes hanging around the freezer. I 'paint' the tart shells with a coating of chocolate that acts as a moisture barrier between the lemony mascarpone and the shell. (And who can argue with having a little chocolate anyway!) For a party, I don't slice the strawberries until just before serving so they look as fresh as possible, but I've done them as much as several hours ahead without a problem if I brush a little apricot puree on top of them. You can top the tarts with a little Chantilly cream, chocolate shavings or sifted confectioner's sugar. They make a great little presentation at the table, and oh so easy to make.

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