TWD: Fresh Berry Tart

Strawberries remind me of my childhood summers. We used to have a big yard and my dad used to have a ton of strawberry plants which bore the biggest, reddest, best strawberries. He used to lovingly slice them and arrange them on a plate, each slice overlapping the previous one just-so. Served with sweet whipped cream of course! As a little girl I felt so special picking berries with my daddy.

With summer around the corner, this tart is my way of welcoming Mr. Sun. I have been so cold all year long, even wearing a scarf in the office! I am ready for some heat and a chance to wear some of the cute summer tank tops and flip flops I've been storing in my closet. Some women have a thing for shoes - I have a thing for flip-flops!

There are 3 parts to the classic tart: crust, filling, berries. The filling would normally be a traditional stove cooked pastry cream but I opted for an easier and just as yummy alternative - a white chocolate cream cheese filling. Reminiscent of cheesecake with a tangy sweetness from the interplay of melted white chocolate. It's less finicky to deal with than 'real' pastry cream (no eggs, no stove!) and absolutely delicious to boot. This made a great Mother's Day dessert. This tart is one of those desserts that appears way more time-consuming and impressive than it actually is. Love it.

The recipe this week was chosen by Cristine of Cooking with Cristine. See her blog for the original recipe. I have posted mine including adaptations below as it is quite different from Dorie's.

Fresh Berry Tart
1 - 9" Tart | heavily adapted from Dorie


Sweet 9" Tart Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg yolk

1. Pulse together the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse until resembles coarse peas. Add the egg and process in long pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change. Turn the dough out onto the counter and gently/carefully knead.
2. Roll or press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes before baking.
3. Line the crust with waxed paper and pie weights then bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove weights and bake another 8 minutes until firm and golden brown, fully baked. Storing: Dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. The fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer – it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

Easy White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling
1 1/2 cups white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

In a small mixing bowl, beat melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Berries, Glaze and Assembly
2 pints fresh berries/fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, pineapple, etc.)
2 tbsp apricot jam or strained raspberry jam
2 tsp water

1. Arrange fruit on top of the pastry cream in the crust. I find it looks best to put the tallest berries in the centre and taper out from there.
2. For the glaze: Combine jam with water then brush over the fruit. This keeps it from drying out and gives the tart a pretty sheen.

The tart is best served immediately but can be kept refrigerated for a few hours or up to a day (the only problem is the fruit juice seeping into the filling and coloring it).