Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Patriotic Tart


For those out there who are all about the red, white, and blue- this recipes goes out to you. I recently made this tart for a get-together at my in-laws over the Memorial Day weekend. They're both retired army and their home reflects their commitment to serving the USA. The moment I saw this tart idea, I knew that I had to make it!

The base of this tart is a traditional pie crust; you could easily switch things up with a crumble-base (i.e. graham crackers, cookies, almonds, etc.) crust. This was the first time that I ever deviated form Smitten Kitchen's crust and I was pleasantly surprised with this version from Baked. It's easy to make in a blender and rolls out very nicely. I think we may have a new go-to pie crust! It's flaky, light, and not overly buttery.

The filling extremely simple and quick! It's combination of whipped-cream and cream-cheese to create a smooth base. I split the mix and in one bowl, whipped in a little raspberry jam to help break things up. See the link in the recipe below for my favorite raspberry jam. Throw in a sprinkle of lemon zest to help bring out that fruity flavor! Top with some patriotic fruit and let the tart do the rest.

This dessert is an instant 4th of July rock star for any barbeque!


The Patriotic Tart
inspired by I Heart Baking

Pie Crust (recipe below) - New Frontiers in Baking
Pie Filling (recipe below) - slightly modified from Martha Stewart
6 ounces blueberries (there will be leftovers)
6 ounces strawberries, quartered (there will be leftovers)
13.75" x 4.5" tart pan

Crust
1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the pieces of butter are the size of hazelnuts. While pulsing in quick, 4-second bursts, drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.

As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, remove it from the food processor roll into a ball. Flatten to a disk and wrap in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disk until firm, about 1 hour.

Sprinkle clean surface with flour and roll out into a 16 x 6 rectangle, or 1/4 of an inch thick. Gently lay into tart pan, cutting off excess hanging dough. Crimp edges as desired. 

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.

Filling
6 ounces bar low-fat cream cheese or neufchâtel, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream, and beat until soft peaks form.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the cream cheese filling mixture with the raspberry jam. Evenly spread mixture in cooled crust. Spread on top the rest of the plain, cream cheese filling on top to hide the pink layer.

Decorate into with berries and let chill in the fridge. Best served slightly cold to ward off the summer heat!