Fruit Tart Recipe

I bet you all thought I forgot I was supposed to post this =)  No, just another victim of my procrastination LOL.  Oddly enough, it is now allowing me to procrastinate on editing pics of other stuff, since this post only requires typing & cropping of one pic.  For those of you who may have missed the original post, here's a slice of what I'm talking about:

Mmmm-mmmm =P  I'm going to start out with the recipe exactly as written, then at the end there will be some notes & tips & tricks that I use when I make it.  I really don't know where this recipe originally came from, somewhere online I think.

Bavarian Fruit Torte

A rich shortbread crust with a cheesecake filling is topped with artfully arranged fresh fruit for a show-stopping dessert.

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Preparation Time:  45 minutes

Ingredients for Shortbread Crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for Fruit Topping:

• About 3 cups fresh fruit, such as berries, peaches or plums, sliced small if large
• Apricot preserves or apple jelly
• Freshly squeeze lemon juice

Directions for Shortbread Crust:

Heat oven  on Convection Bake mode to 325 degrees F.  Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in vanilla.  Add flour and mix until a dough forms.  Pat dough into a flat disc and press it evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  (Crust can be made up to two days ahead.  Wrap tightly in foil when cool and refrigerate.) 

Directions for Cream Cheese Filling:

Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar together.  Add egg and vanilla; then beat until fluffy.  Pour filling into baked crust.  Bake at 325 until just set, about 20 minutes.

Directions for Assembling Fruit:

Cool tart for a few minutes.  Arrange fruit in a decorative pattern on top of torte, anchoring each piece by pressing it slightly into the soft cheese filling.

If using apricot preserves, heat them slighly in a small saucepan.  Strain and discard the pieces.  Place strained preserves or apply jelly in saucepan along with a squeeze of lemon.  Bring to a boil over moderatly high heat.  Brush glaze over fruit.  Chill tart until cream cheese filling is firm, about 3 hours.

So, that's the official version - now on to my way =)

The first note I have is that we don't have a Convection Bake mode on out oven.  So for the crust, I usually set the regular oven between 325-350, and check the crust at around 20 minutes.   It should be just turning golden around the edges when you take it out. Same temp goes for the filling, and I'll check it at about 25 minutes.  Give it a little wiggle to see if the middle is set or still jiggly.

For the pan that you use, if you have a tart pan with high sides, you're probably OK using that.  I usually use a spring-form pan that's probably intended for cheesecake or something.  It does have a removable bottom, but the sides are tall enough to keep the fruit from falling off if you pile it high & then need to transport the dessert.  I also line the pan with a layer of parchment paper, so that the crust doesn't stick to the bottom.

As far as mixing the ingredients, I don't use an electric mixer.  It may be a little more work, but I just do it by hand instead of digging out the mixer.  As long as you've softened the butter & cream cheese, it's not that hard to do with like a wooden spoon or whatever utensil you'd like to use.

I cut up my fruit while the filling is cooking.  I really don't know if I use the full 3 cups recommended, but this all comes down to personal taste.  This time I used strawberries, mandarin oranges & blackberries.  When I've made this previously, I've also used blueberries, raspberryies, pineapple, mango, kiwi - whatever fruit you like, it will be delicious on top of this.

The apricot preserves or apple jelly really are optional.  It will give the tart a glossy look, but it's an extra step that really doesn't add anything so feel free to skip it.  If you do chose to do it - DO NOT microwave the preserves or jelly.  Made that mistake one time & it just was not pretty, it totally caramelized & hardened into this thick dark sludge.  Not cute.

When you're ready to serve, go around the outside of the pan with a knife, just to help release the crust & filling from the edge.  Release the spring-form & lift out the bottom.  With the parchment, it's also pretty easy to slide the whole tart off of the bottom of the pan as well, which makes it a little easier to cut (the one I have has a lip around the edge) - the crust is almost like a cookie-texture, so you need to make sure you cut all the way through.

Wow, that turned out longer than I thought!  I think I included everything important, but if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.  I promise one day I'll be caught up & do my best to answer =)  If you don't have any questions - well, make up a special occasion to bake this for LOL!  It's been a hit every time I've made it.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette