Someone's in the Kitchen with Fruit!

by Chewy

We are quickly approaching my favorite fruit time of the year. The colors, textures, aromas and flavors are intoxicating and my refrigerator often takes on a tropical island feel. My thoughts often turn to Carmen Miranda, the woman who embraced all things tropical  with those fabulous hats, an homage to the the fruit aisle. She put every fruit she could on them and that's how I feel about my desserts in the summer.....put as many different fruits on it as possible. We've all seen the magnificent fruit tart in the refrigerated area of the bakery. What a presentation! And part of it's beauty is that it tastes as good as it looks. Not that difficult to replicate, the fun part is selecting the variety of fruits you will use. Think COLOR, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, pineapple, peaches, mango, blackberries, raspberries, papaya, the choice is yours. I am also convinced that this recipe can double as breakfast, on the patio, with a cup of tea (or better yet, a Mimosa!).

FRESH FRUIT TART WITH SHORTBREAD COOKIE PASTRY

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TART SHELL

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp. shortening
5 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1 c. flour
Dash salt
1 egg yolk

TART FILLING

1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Dash nutmeg
Fresh fruit
1 oz. brandy (optional)
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, confectioners' sugar. Add egg yolk. Beat in flour and salt - a stiff dough will result. Pat dough into 10 inch springform pan - bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes in the meantime. Soften cream cheese and then beat in 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar. Set aside. Bring granulated sugar, lemon juice and nutmeg to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add brandy - add fresh fruit - poach for 5 minutes.Drain fruit and reserve sugar sauce. Allow tart shell to cool completely. Spread cream cheese mixture in tart shell - arrange fruit - brush with reserve sugar sauce - MMM!!!