Doesn’t this recipe just scream SUMMER ?! Fresh berries, sweet creamy filling, soft gluten-free crust (that stays together!)?
It’s been one of our family favorites for many years. I’ve made a dozen different versions of it and each one has been uniquely delicious, yet not the same. It’s so simple to tweak the flavor of the cream by adding a different extract, perhaps almond, or orange or hazelnut. Or, you could drizzle on a favorite liquor over the fruit to give it an “adult” flavor. You could add some cocoa to the creamy middle, use strawberries and drizzle it with ganache. How about that?! So many possibilities!
For this recipe though, we’re going to keep it Plain Jane. Just the way our family likes it. Someday I’m going to venture out though …
For the shortbread crust:
¾ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups gluten-free flour
½ tsp. xanthan gum
Heat oven to 325˚.
Lightly grease 10”-12″ tart pan with removable bottom.
Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together until creamy and light.
Stir in flour and xanthan gum and knead until a soft dough forms.
With your fingers, mold dough into tart pan, covering bottom and sides evenly.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let cool for at least an hour.
For cream filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup yogurt, plain (not Greek)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla OR seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and beat until sugar has dissolved.
Spread cream filling on cooled cookie crust.
Decorate fruit tart with fresh fruit of your choice.
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.