Better Together Fruit Tart

Many names for this tart ruminated through my head before I settled on this one. This tart uses one of my all time favorite fruits: the strawberry. But this tart is special because it uses a variety of fruit! In fact, I think the tart is even better and more special because of the variety of fruit in it!

So of course, this got me to thinking about life. And diversity. And how we, as a people, are truly better together. We are more interesting. We get more flavors and textures and colors. We grow during different seasons, in different climates, in different places. Some of us can withstand being dropped, and some of us are delicate and must be handled with the utmost care. But all provide important stuff that makes us better and healthier. Some of us are a little acidic and tart and green, like a kiwi. And some of us sugary sweet but a little firmer, like a peach. Some are orange like a nectarine, and some are blue-black like a blueberry.

And somehow, when we come together, it creates a symphony of flavors. An orchestra! There are overtones—notes that aren’t played but can be heard when certain cords are struck. That’s just like us! We don’t have to be a “melting pot” where we all blend together (as delicious as soup is). We can be a fruit tart! Where we coexist, standing shoulder to shoulder, in all of our glorious differences. We can live in harmony and are more interesting and better because of the red cherry that’s adjacent to the fuchsia raspberry. And ya know what? Even if one of those strawberries is underripe, you won’t even notice when it’s next to a juicy nectarine. We call come together. We are better together.

And about this tart… it couldn’t be easier to make. The crust is an easy-peasy press in crust! The filling is basically a no-bake cheesecake. You don’t even have to wait for it to “Set” in the fridge. You just got really beat the cream cheese and whipping cream real good til you get to super stiff peaks.

Better Together Fruit Tart

The Crust*

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
dash of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

The Filling and Fruit Topping

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, cold
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Assorted fresh fruit (I used cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, 1/2 peach, 1 nectarine, 1/2 kiwi)
1/4 cup jelly or jam, any flavor (optional, for brushing fruit on top to make it shine)

*Don’t feel like making your own crust? Just buy a graham cracker, ready-made crust from the store! It’s like a cheat code to baking—you get to skip steps 1-5. Go straight to step 6!

1. Make the press-in crust. Combine the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the unsalted butter until it’s combined.

2. Using floured hands (cuz the dough can be a little sticky), press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. (If you don’t have a tart pan, you can press the dough into the bottom (not up the sides) of a 9-inch cake pan or 8-inch square pan.

3. Stick the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so the dough can firm up.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork all over, then line the bottom with foil or parchment paper, and something to weight the crust down (dried beans or pie weights). Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust starts to dry out. Remove the beans or weights, and bake another 15 minutes, until it’s cooked through and a light, golden color.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack completely (a warm crust will melt the filling).

6. Once the crust has cooled completely to room temperature, make the filling. Place the cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until very stiff peaks forms, and the filling smoothes out (initially, it may be a little lumpy from the cold cream cheese, but if you keep beating, it will smooth out). You want the filling to really thicken up. (If your cream cheese was at room temperature, it won’t get thick and that’s fine—it will set beautifully while in the refrigerator. )

7. Once the filling is thick, spread it evenly into you already-baked tart crust.

8. Top with fruit, keeping some whole and cutting some in half to expose the inside.

9. If using jelly, warm it in the microwave just until it becomes more liquid. Brush it on top all over the fruit. (The jelly will help “preserve” the tart while it’s in the fridge.)

Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve! It will be fine in the fridge for up to two days. Serve cold!