Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Berry and Farmer Cheese Tart

This recipe is from the July 1993 Gourmet, RIP.   It's reasonably simple, not ungodly in calories and looks and tastes beautiful.  I can't find it on the web, so by popular request:

Berry and Farmer Cheese Tart

For the shell

1 cup plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. double-acting baking powder
3/4 stick (6 T.) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg
1 T. fresh (always fresh) lemon juice
2 T. berry jelly (I use currant or strawberry), melted

for the filling
a 7 1/2- ounce package farmer cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 t. cornstarch
1/4 t. freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups mixed red or black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries plus additional berries for garnish
A mint sprig for garnish  

Make the shell:  preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a food processor, blend together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Add the butter and blend the mixture until it resembles meal.  In a small bowl, beat together lightly the egg and the lemon jice, add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and pulse the motor until the mixture just forms a dough.  Press the dough evenly onto the bottom and up the side of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim and chill the shell for an hour.  Brush the bottom  of the shell with the jelly, prick it all over with a fork and bake the shell in the lower third of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Reduce the oven temp. to 325 F.  Make the filling. In a food processor, blend together the farmer cheese, sugar, egg, cornstarch and the zest for 1 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth, add the cream and blend the mixture until it is just combined.  Arrange 1 1/2 cups of the berries evenly in the shell, pour the cheese mixture slowly over them, and bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the custard is just set.  Let the tart cool completely in the pan n a rack and garnish it with the additional berries and the mint sprig. 

t = teaspoon, T = tablespoon.  The crust is easy to handle and goes into the tart pan very nicely. 

1 comment:

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