This sweet cream cheese fruit tart is a berry simple dessert; I found this recipe among my mother’s clippings and was surprised how easy it is. Of course, she made her pastry from scratch, but I took a short cut with the pre-made dough.
Sweet Cream Cheese Berry Tart
- 8 oz package Philly cream cheese (my mother only used Philly – staying true to her roots)
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- pie crust dough (or 1 refrigerated pre-made pie crust)
- 2 cups fruit (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat together: cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, egg yolk, and almond extract. In a separate bowl, mix fruit with 2 tablespoons of sugar and remaining tablespoon of cream of tartar.
If using refrigerated pie crust, roll it out a little and then cut into four or five pieces that will fit into large muffin slots. My tin holds six, but I only had enough dough for 5, so I tried a little experiment. I added a little water to the empty spot before baking, and then filled a custard cup with the cream cheese mixture and fruit – it fit nicely into the slot – turned out tasty.
Fill bottom of each tart with cream cheese mixture and then top with fruit. Fold the edges over slightly to look like a small pie. Brush the edges with the egg white. Bake about 30 minutes (until edges of the pie crust are lightly browned). Cool and enjoy.