Blackberry Cream Cheese Tart
One of my favorite berries. This tart is three layers of deliciousness!
My mother would call any plant coming up in our yard but not purposely planted a volunteer. We had the best volunteer asparagus from the birds she would say. I’m not sure the blackberries that grew through from Dr. Smith’s (you know, a common fence) were exactly volunteer but that’s what they too were called. Dad was handy at everything. He always had time for projects. That’s what mother said. So before long the blackberry volunteers were transplanted along a newly constructed support system amongst our many walnut trees. The fruit from these vines provided pies, cobblers and jams for seasons. Definitely blackberries are my favorite … the seeds not so much. Try this recipe that has just the right amount of whole berries over a layer of seedless berry filling.
Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
You will need a 9 inch tart pan with a lift out bottom. Nonstick is easier or prepare the pan with a nonstick spray. I’m sure you could adapt this recipe to a pie plate.
Crust
1 Cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
4 Tablespoons butter-melted after measuring
3 Tablespoons brown or white sugar
Mix the ingredients and press into tart pan along the bottom. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly brown around the edge. Remove from oven and let cool.
Cream Cheese Filling
8 Ounces cream cheese
1/4 Cup sour cream
1/3 Cup sugar-scant
1 1/2 Teaspoon flour
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla-scant measurement
1/2 Teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of salt
Whip ingredients together and pour into cooled crust. Bake 20 minutes or until layer appears set. Remove from oven and let cool.
Berry Filling
24 Ounces blackberries-rinsed and drained
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch (1/2 T=1 1/2 t)
1/4 to 1/3 Cup sugar-depending on your desire of sweetness
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 Teaspoons butter
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the prettiest berries.
*Juice the remaining berries. This should give you about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of juice.
Place the juice and the remaining ingredients (not including whole berries or butter) into a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer stirring continually to avoid scorching. Do not boil. It thickens pretty quickly. When it is pudding thick, not too thick, remove from heat. Stir in butter.
Let rest a minute or two then spoon over the sour cream layer.
Cool slightly and then add fresh berries to the top. Refrigerate or serve slightly warm.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a beautiful presentation.
*For juicing I use the sieve below with the back of a wooden spoon. I work with about 1/2 cup of berries at a time and scrape the bottom of the sieve frequently to remove juice. I rinse the sieve in-between to remove the seeds. This allows more room for the juice to fall through.
William Sonoma