A beautiful berry tart, easy to make but with an impressive and dramatic appearance.
In France and Switzerland and Scandinavia, I’ve stood, slavering, outside patisserie windows, hoping the calories would stay behind the thick glass. They did but I could not. From creations of butter and cream and fruit and nuts, all so perfectly formed by expert hands, came irresistible calls for slow, savored consumption.
This elegant, summer-fresh tart will unleash your inner pastry chef. It cries out for creative flair in the choice and arrangement of fruit, in the selection of liqueurs and jams.
This is a tart you may swooooon over. Is it a cheesecake? Sort of. Is it a tart? You bet. But is it delicious? Yes, ma’am! It’s an easy, elegant dessert, one which I’m willing to bet you’ll make again and again.
Otherwise, Pillsbury refrigerated crusts are quite good, especially if rolled a bit thinner before arranging in the pan. Just cut away and discard what hangs over the sides. Or for still greater simplicity, use a prepared graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust. For liqueur, choose something fruity such as Gran Marnier or something subtle such as a dry sherry. The rings of black-then-red-then-blue berries are extraordinarily beautiful but perfectly ripe peaches or other juicy fruits, artfully arranged, would be spectacular as well.
EASY ELEGANT FRUIT TART
Start-to-finish: About 2 hours
Serves 8
- 1 unbaked or baked pie crust (see ALANNA's TIPS)
-
FILLING
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons liqueur (see TIPS)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
-
TOPPING (see TIPS)
- 1/2 pint blueberries
- 1/2 pint raspberries
- 1/2 pint blackberries
- 1/4 cup fruit jam or jelly
- 1 tablespoon liqueur
CRUST If unbaked, preheat oven to 450F. Arrange dough in a nine-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pinching along rim to form a decorative edge. Cover with foil and weight center with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown and fully baked. Cool.
FILLING Meanwhile, combine filling ingredients until smooth with an electric mixer. Spread evenly in the cooled crust and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
TOPPING Arrange berries in concentric circles, starting with blackberries along outer edge, then raspberries, then filling center with blueberries. Heat the jam and liqueur in a small pan until just warm and spoon evenly over fruit. Refrigerate for up to two hours before serving.
More Fabulous Fruit Desserts
Shop Your Pantry First
~ blueberries ~
~ blackberries ~
~ raspberries ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
© Copyright 2005 Kitchen Parade
Page Permalink
|
E-Mail This Recipe Join the Conversation!
To read comments from other readers, please scroll down.To leave your own comment, please scroll down to 'Post a Comment'.
6/19/2006
5/19/2007
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna