Mascarpone Fruit Flag Tartlets

For summer gatherings, I like to bring a dish that is easy to make and eat. This Mascarpone Fruit Flag Tartlets recipe checks those boxes and just happens to be perfect for your next July 4 celebration. It’s a refreshing summer dessert, using mascarpone, whipped cream and lemon zest for a light-tasting filling that’s topped with strawberries, blueberries and white chocolate chips, and/or sweetened coconut. It is the perfect color combination to display the American flag. Because the dessert is comprised of individual small tartlets, it’s a great grab-and-go treat for a crowd, plus, by changing up the toppings, you could serve this any time of year. Chopped mango, peaches or kiwi would be great additions and even milk chocolate chips. It is an easy dessert that everyone will love.

Prepping the Ingredients

If you can, I highly recommend purchasing the crescent dough sheets but if you can’t find them, the crescent rolls will work just fine. You’ll simply need to unroll the crescent rolls and press to seal the perforations before cutting. Once the crescent dough is unrolled, use a ruler and score the dough with a knife to get precise two- by two-inch squares, 24 total squares. Once measured, use a Pizza Cutter to cut the squares. Repeat the same process with the second sheet of dough. 

Using a 3″ Gourmet Paring Knife, hull the strawberries, cut each strawberry into slices and then dice.

The recipe calls for the zest of one lemon, but if you don’t have a zester handy, you can follow this Make Lemon Zest Without a Zester tutorial. Start by removing a thin peel from the lemon with a Vegetable Peeler, being careful to avoid the white pith. Cut the peel into thin strips using a 5″ Petite Santoku and, using a rocking motion, finely dice the strip into a zest.

Making the Tartlets

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Press the two-inch dough squares into a mini-muffin cup tin (you’ll need two of these tins). Place the tins into the oven and bake for nine to 11 minutes, until the crescent squares are golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

While the crescent squares are cooking, whip the heavy whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. In a separate large bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, honey, vanilla and lemon zest and mix thoroughly. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese mixture until combined.

Once the crescent tartlets are cool, place the mascarpone cheese mixture into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe the cheese filling into the tartlet. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a teaspoon to fill the tartlets.

Top nine of the tartlets with blueberries, 18 of the tartlets with the prepared strawberries and the remaining tartlets with the mini white chocolate chips or shredded sweet coconut. We actually topped half of those remaining tartlets with the white chocolate chips and the other half with the shredded coconut for variety. 

On a large platter, arrange the tartlets into a flag pattern. Place the nine blueberry tartlets in the upper left corner, three rows of three tartlets each. Next to the top row of blueberry tartlets, place five strawberry tartlets in the same row. For the next row, place five white chocolate chip or coconut tartlets in a row and for the third row, repeat with five strawberry tartlets. Starting directly below the blueberry tartlets form a row of eight white chocolate chip or coconut tartlets. Form another row below with eight strawberry tartlets and complete the final row with eight white chocolate or coconut tartlets.

If not immediately serving, place the tray into the refrigerator to keep the tartlets cool.

What we loved about these Mascarpone Fruit Flag Tartlets was how easy they are to make and organize into the flag design, but also how light and tasty they are for a dessert. The mascarpone cheese filling was light and citrusy, and then each topping allowed people to choose their favorite. Give it a try, we’re sure you’ll enjoy.