Monday, January 3, 2011

Blueberry cream cheese tart

The holidays were a blur of time this year, at least partially owing to the fact that we spent a lot of time in the kitchen where time seems to pass so quickly. So we are still catching up on posting some of the recipes that starred on our table this year. This post is for the blueberry and vanilla cream cheese tart that is very simple. I did not make this, Quay Lo did.



You will need two medium sized mixing bowls, measuring cups & spoons, a blending fork, a 12 inch tart pan or, optionally, 4-5 individual shallow ramekins, very lightly buttered.
Optional: A food processor and electric mixer

Ingredients
Crust: (note: your favorite graham crust will do very well here, while we prefer the following sweetened crust for this tart)
1/2 cup (63 g) powdered sugar 
1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup (170 g) butter, softened 

Filling:
6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese, at room temperature 
1 cup (126 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream 
1/4 cup (56 g) castor sugar 
1 can blueberry pie filling

Directions
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
Combine powdered sugar, flour, and butter in a food processor, or combine in a mixing bowl with a blending fork until mixture is crumbly and less than pea sized and can easily be pressed into a ball between your hands. Roll out dough for an un-greased 12-inch tart pan or, cut dough ball into 4 equal parts and simply press each piece into individual, shallow, five inch ramekins, slightly buttered. Take care to press into indentations.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned, using pie weights or dried beans to fill the crust, to prevent it from buckling. Allow to completely cool on a rack and remove the weights.
Filling:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese with the powdered sugar using a fork or a mixer until thoroughly blended. Clean the mixer utensils for next step.
In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream and the caster sugar. Beat until soft peaks form.
Using a rubber spatula fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon this mixture into the cooled pie shell and top it with blueberry pie filling or blueberry preserves. Refrigerate until well chilled and firmed. Serve with a sprig of mint leaf, thinly sliced strawberries if available, sliced maraschino cherries, or a dollop of whipped cream on top.

25 comments:

  1. the famous jerry mcguire line "you had me at hello" came to mind. i would say though "you had me at weight measurements" i love it when i can break out my scale and bake.

    vanilla/blueberry and cream is a heavenly profile that will please any sweet tooth.

    i am glad you did not post the calorie info because i dont want to know, i just want to eat the tart and run later

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  2. Delicious! Blueberries are a favorite and ice cream is always perfect.

    Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Wishing you a very happy and delicious new year.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. Thanks Matt, "running later" is a very good idea.

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  4. Thanks you Bonnie, and all the best for a great New
    Year.

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  5. berries and creamcheese = delicious. These look so pretty too.
    Happy New Year to you!

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  6. Happy New Year! This is gorgeous! The blueberries are calling my name:)

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  7. Tart looks delicious I love blueberry so this one is my favorite.

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  8. Your tart is beautiful and it's something that my family would absolutely love! The blueberries on top are the perfect addition!

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  9. Quay Lo's blueberry cream cheese tart looks delicious. I have to stop reading food blogs in the morning cause now all I want to do is make everything I read abscess all day. Lol. I love simple recipes like this. Thank you to you and Quay Lo for sharing.

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  10. I would sneak this away and devour it myself. My heart happily beats anytime I am near a cheesecake. The blueberries give it even more sweetness and color. A definite winner.

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  11. Beautiful dessert. Love the way blueberries look in a tart shell. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year!

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  12. What a beautiful tart. I need to learn how to make some tarts, because I seem to make only cupcakes. :)

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  13. I am not usually a fan of cream cheese but I must say that this recipe will certainly change my stance on that! It looks divine! Great photos as well.

    Happy New Year! I hope that 2011 is off to a wonderful start for you!

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  14. What a delicious looking tart :)
    Happy 2011!

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  15. Happy 2011!

    I can see lots of blueberries in this dessert...yum :D

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  16. Oh wow this looks amazing. I love cream cheese and blueberries. I eat about a cup of blueberries each morning!
    I also came across your roasted chicken and chestnusts. I am going to try a variation of it tonight for dinner with chicken thighs.

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  17. Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful comments. One thing I thought I would add is that this recipe yields a very smooth custard and is very different from the dense N.Y style cheesecakes you might be familiar with. However, neither is the custard in any way, light or airy. It is a happy balance between these two extremes. Enjo

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  18. This photo should be on the cover of a magazine.

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  19. Yumy! Blueberries and cream cheese are a match made in heaven. ;-) Happy New Year!

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  20. Absolutely beautiful!! Blueberry is my husband's most requested ingredient. I know he would just love this one. Maybe I'll surprise him as he returns from his trip!

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  21. Hey Justin,
    I have to respond to your comment instead of Quaylo because the photo is taken by me, LOL! Just this evening I was complaining to Quaylo that I am not happy with my photos and he said I am too critical about myself. Thanks so much for the compliment.

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  22. Happy 2011 ! Cheese and blueberries are my favourite and this tart looks delish . Who say men cant bake better than women ! :)

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