It’s a very special day today… My son turns 5! It has been amazing watching him grow and learn. Every day he is taller and smarter than the last. I am so proud of him! He loves to help me out in the kitchen, and I hope that he will continue to be interested in cooking for years to come.

On to our recipe for the day… Butter Streusel Tart is perfect for breakfast or brunch. It looks (and tastes) like a fancy bread that you could buy at a bakery. It is a little more involved than other recipes I have posted in the past, but I think it is worth the extra effort (and extra dishes!) if you want to add a little extra “Wow!” at the breakfast or brunch table.

I think it would make an excellent dessert, too!

Here is what you need for the dough…

Grease a 9″ tart pan and set it aside. Heat the milk until it is lukewarm, not hot. Add the yeast and stir, and set aside for at least 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. If you use a microplane to zest the lemon, put the microplane upside down on top of the lemon, and then you can see how much zest you have, and if you’re getting too close to the pith. Mix it up.

If you have a handy helper around, this is a great step where they can help you!

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg, melted butter, and milk mixture.

Stir until the dough mixture comes together.

Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a bowl, put in the dough, and turn it to coat. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. It will rise slightly during the chill.

After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface to a large circle, 1/4″ thick.

Line the prepared tart pan with the dough and then refrigerate again.

Next, make the filling.

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds from inside, and add the seeds and the bean to milk. If you are using vanilla extract instead, add the extract to milk.

Slowly bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat, and then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. While that is cooling, in a medium bowl sift the cornstarch and add a small amount of water to make a paste.

Strain the milk into the cornstarch and discard the vanilla bean. Stir until it is smooth.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for about 30 seconds or until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

In another bowl, beat together the sugar, cream cheese, lemon zest, and rum (or water). You can see tiny bits of cream cheese in this mixture because the cream cheese was just a little too cold. It should be very smooth.

Add the cooled milk mixture and beat until well blended.

Spoon the mixture into the dough-lined tart pan and smooth the top.

Next, make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly.

Stir in the sugar. Sprinkle the streusel over the filling.

Bake until golden brown. If the crust starts to brown (like mine did!), you can cover the edges with foil to prevent further browning. I did not for this one, and I wish I would have remembered!

Cool the tart in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Butter Streusel Tart

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Dough

2/3 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 1/4-oz pkg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 egg beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

1/2 cup milk
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon rum or 1/2 tablespoon water

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Grease a 9" tart pan and set aside. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Add yeast and stir, set aside for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter, and milk mixture. Stir until mixture comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, until dough is smooth. Lightly oil a bowl, put in dough, and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
After dough has chilled, roll out dough on a floured surface to a large circle, 1/4" thick. Line the prepared tart pan with the dough. Refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To make the filling, pour the milk in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds from inside, and add seeds and bean to milk. If using extract instead, add extract to milk. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, sift the cornstarch and add a small amount of water to make a paste. Strain the milk into the cornstarch and discard the vanilla bean. Stir until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 30 seconds or until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.
In another bowl, beat together the sugar, cream cheese, lemon zest, and rum (or water). Add the cooled milk mixture and beat until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the dough-lined pan and smooth the top.
To make the streusel topping, in a small bowl, cut the butter into the flour until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the sugar. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated 400 degree F oven, or until golden brown. Cool tart in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.