Although the 4th has passed us by I still wanted to post one of my most favorite desserts!  It can be made in a round tart shell pan and served with a variety of fruit on top!  This beautiful and patriotic tart is so delicious with it’s secret chocolate bottom and creamy filling, you think you’d died and gone to heaven!

Recipe

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cubed

2 large egg yolks

2-4 tablespoons cold heavy cream or ice water

Pulse flour , sugar and salt in a food processor until combined.  Add the butter, and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add yolks and drizzle 2 tablespoons cream evenly over mixture; pulse just until dough begins to come together, no more than 30 seconds.  If dough is too dry, add remaining cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.  Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator before using).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough into an 18-by-18-inch rectangle, 1/8-inch thick.  Roll out a round if using a round pan.  Fit dough into a 14-by-4-inch fluted tart pan; trim excess dough flush with rim.  Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.  Repeat with second disk of dough.

For Filling and Topping:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup whipping cream

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Fresh berries and chopped fruit (blue berries and raspberries for the flag)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place pans on a rimmed baking sheet.  Line shells with parchment or foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang.  Fill shells with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake until edges are just starting to color, about 25 minutes.  Remove parchment and weights; continue baking until crusts are dry and evenly browned, 10-15 minutes more.  Transfer to wire rack; Place the 4 ounces of chocolate on the bottom of the warm tart shells and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Spread evenly over bottom and allow to completely cool before taking the tarts out of the molds.

Beat the whip cream, vanilla and powdered sugar on high until the cream starts to form peaks.  Set aside.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth and fold in the cream mixture.  Smooth over the chocolate in the tarts.  Place berries according to your liking.  Enjoy!

This recipe is worth making at least a few times during the summer!  I love that I don’t have to worry about forming the crust into a particular shape.  It’s pretty the way it’s folded over the fruit giving it a rustic natural look.  The hint of orange zest with a butter strudel and stone fruit is just heavenly!  This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook “At Home”.

Recipe

For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup organic sugar

1/2 sea salt

2 sticks butter cold and diced

6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling (makes 1 crostata)

1 pound firm ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

1/2 pound firm, ripe black plums, unpeeled and sliced

1/2 pint blueberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon organic sugar

1/4 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice

For the topping (makes 1 crostata)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup organic sugar

1/2 stick butter, diced

For the pastry, place flour, sugar, and slat in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and toss quickly with your fingers.  Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas.  With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube.  Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks.  Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least and hour.  If you only need one dough, freeze the second disk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer it to the sheet pan.

For the filling, cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries.  Toss them with 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the orange zest and orange juice.  Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

For the topping, combine the 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 stick butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.  Pout into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together.  Sprinkle evenly over fruit.  Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender.  Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.