THE WASHINGTON POST – One of the best things about summer is the fruit. The next best thing to eating berries, cherries, peaches, plums, figs and melon fresh? Piling it atop this easy fruit tart.
Traditional French-style fresh-fruit tarts involve a short, sweet crust and vanilla pastry cream filling. They’re wonderful but somewhat labour intensive.
The classic dough for the crust must be handled with a gentle touch so it doesn’t toughen as it bakes. It is often rolled out before being fitted into a fluted tart pan, filled with weights and blind baked – a process that can be tricky unless you have lots of practice.
Once the tart shell is ready, it is customarily filled with a pudding-like pastry cream. Thick and rich, with a pronounced vanilla flavour, properly made pastry cream is dreamy. But there’s a lot that can go wrong. If you don’t correctly incorporate the starch, or you don’t whisk it enough, you’ll end up with lumpy pastry cream. If you don’t cook it long enough, often at a boil, it will taste gritty or pasty instead of gently sweet.
Let’s make things easier. I created a tender tart crust that needs no rolling: Simply press it into a tart pan. Use a straight-sided glass or measuring cup to press around the inside perimeter of the crust, where it meets the sides of the pan, to achieve a tidy 90-degree angle.
Freeze it until it’s firm before baking, and you won’t have to fill it with weights. Simply bake it until it’s golden brown.
While it cools, whip together a mixture of cream cheese, whipped cream, sugar and vanilla. I first saw this idea in a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that I bought from a garage sale when I was 14 years old. You could call it a no-bake cheesecake filling, but the mixture tastes more like a mousse to me. Light and slightly tart, alongside the cookie-like crust, it makes an ideal foil for sweet summer fruit.
ANY-FRUIT TART
Put summer’s finest fresh fruit on display in this easy tart. A press-in cookie crust takes minutes to make and bake. Rather than making a fussy pastry cream, fill it with a no-cook cream cheese filling, which is light and satisfying. Here, the filling is flavoured with vanilla, but feel free to infuse it with citrus zest, a fruit concentrate or dollop of jam instead. Finally, top the tart with lots of fresh, seasonal fruit. Sliced peaches, plums or apricots are lovely here, as are a variety of fresh berries. If mango, pineapple, papaya, tangerines, oranges and kiwi are available near you, feel free to use those, too. It is best to keep the tart refrigerated until just before serving.
MAKE AHEAD
The tart shell can be formed and frozen for up to 24 hours, or baked up to two days in advance. The cream cheese filling can be made up to two days in advance.
INGREDIENTSFOR THE TART SHELL
One and half cups all-purpose flour
A third cup confectioners’ sugar
An eighth teaspoon fine salt
Eight tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
One large egg yolk, cold
FOR THE FILLING
One package plain cream cheese, preferably full-fat
Half cup confectioners’ sugar
Two teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
Three-quarter cup heavy cream
FOR THE TOPPING AND GLAZE
340 to 570 grammes fresh fruit, such as blueberries, raspberries and/or sliced strawberries
A third cup apricot jam, strained
One tablespoon water, plus more as needed
DIRECTIONS
Make the tart shell: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, stir together the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture looks crumbly, about one minute.
Add the egg yolk and mix on medium speed until uniformly combined and the mixture holds together when pressed, about one minute. It will still look crumbly, and this is fine.
Transfer the dough to an 11- or 12-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your fingers, press the crust into the pan, taking care to form an even layer all the way around.
Set the tart pan in a large, rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes.
(At this point, the tart shell may be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 24 hours).
When you’re ready to bake the tart shell, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. (If the tart shell puffs slightly while baking, gently press it down with a spoon. If baking from frozen, you may need to add five more minutes of baking time). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan.
Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix on medium speed until smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the heavy cream, taking care to pour it between the whisk and side of the bowl, so it doesn’t splatter.
Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then whip on medium-high until fluffy and light, about two minutes. Cover and refrigerate the cream cheese filling until you are ready to assemble the tart.
Assemble and glaze the tart: Shortly before serving, spread the chilled filling in the tart shell in an even layer. Decorate the top with fresh fruit.
In a small bowl, stir together the apricot jam with the water until combined.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and check the consistency of the glaze; it should be the consistency of maple syrup.
Stir in additional water, if necessary. (Alternatively, stir together the jam and water in a small pot over medium heat and warm until it reaches the desired consistency). Using a pastry brush, glaze the fresh fruit until evenly coated and glistening. Cut the tart into wedges and serve. – G Daniela Galarza
