Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite fairy tales. My gothic fiction loving heart can’t resist a dilapidated castle, a curse, and some well-placed roses. I recently read the original version of the story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, written in 1740. It has many of the same story beats as the popular Disney movie with a few key changes, such as the origin of the Beast’s curse and Beauty’s hidden backstory. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves traditional fairy tales. I especially recommend the MinaLima edition, which has some beautiful artwork and interactive elements.

As I was reading, I realized I’ve never made a Beauty and the Beast recipe for the blog before, so of course I had to remedy this! I used my go-to pie crust, fruit curd, and meringue recipes to make these elegant little mini tartlets. I call them “enchanted roses,” though technically the famous enchanted rose from the movie isn’t in the book (but don’t worry, roses still feature prominently in the original story).

I filled the mini tart crusts with smooth, sweet-tart strawberry curd and added something fun to my meringue I’ve never tried before: freeze-dried fruit! Strawberries, to be exact. It turned out sooo good—traditional, fluffy meringue with lots of fresh strawberry flavor, which complements the curd beautifully.

This recipe already has me scheming up different flower tartlets I can make with this new freeze dried fruit meringue method. I’m thinking sunflower tartlets with Nutella filling and banana meringue petals. . . or maybe poppy tartlets with raspberry meringue and raspberry curd with some crushed Oreo in the center to mimic poppy seeds. The possibilities are endless!

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Enchanted Roses: Strawberry Curd Tartlets with Strawberry Meringue Rosettes inspired by BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

“An alley ornamented by palisades formed by rose-bushes in full bloom led to it. He had never seen such lovely roses. Their perfume reminded him that he had promised to give Beauty a rose. He picked one, and was about to gather enough to make a half-dozen bouquets, when a most frightful noise made him turn around.”

— Beauty and the Beast

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Makes 12 strawberry curd tartlets

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the strawberry curd, add the strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Halfway through, thoroughly crush the strawberries with a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass.
2. Mix in the sugar and butter until dissolved. Turn the heat to medium and bring the mix to a boil, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the strawberry mix and heat 2-3 minutes, whisking continuously. It will thicken slightly.
3. Transfer to a heat safe bowl and top with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap doesn’t touch the hot curd. Allow the curd to cool for 15 minutes on the counter, then chill 2 hours or until completely cool. Chill until ready to use.
4. To make the tart shells, Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mix has a texture like breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces scattered throughout. Work in 1/4 cup ice water. Continue to work in the remainder of the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mix comes together and is damp but not wet (you might not use all the water).
5. Shape the dough into a 5-inch disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour until firm but not hard.
6. Preheat oven to 375°. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into an 12″x12″ rectangle. Use a __-inch circle cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles, gathering and rerolling the dough if needed. Gently press these into the bottom of a muffin tin. If desired, you can weigh these down with pie weights or dry beans, or you can use a shot glass to press them back down if they puff up after baking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of curd to the bottom of each tart. Bake for 3-5 more minutes, just until the curd is set. Allow to come to room temperature before removing them from the pan. They should come out easily if you gently use a butter knife for leverage.
8. Store uncovered in the fridge until ready for the meringue.
9. To make the meringues, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until soft peaks form.
10. With the mixer running, very gradually add the powdered sugar. Set mixer to fully speed and continue to beat for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. When 1-2 minutes remain, reduce speed briefly and beat in the red food coloring. The meringue should be glossy and should feel smooth when rubbed between two fingers.
11. Fold in the strawberry powder until fully incorporated (do not overmix). Scoop 1-2 cups meringue mix into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
12. Remove the tartlets from the fridge and place 1-2 small basil leaves on each tart, poking out past the edge to imitate rose leaves. Pipe a meringue rosette on top of each tartlet, starting at the center and circling out to the edge. Refill the piping bag with meringue as needed.
13. Serve while reading (or watching) a tale as old as time.
     

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If you’re still craving rose-shaped tarts,
you can try my Savory Apple Rose Tartlets
inspired by PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!