Patriotic Fruit Tart (GF)

Happy Memorial Day everyone! This is one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever made! Here is my Patriotic Fruit Tart for your holiday festivities. Packed with gorgeous fresh fruit and a creamy white chocolate cheesecake filling in a puff pastry shell, this is a delightful light dessert any time of the year! Don’t limit yourself, enjoy this with whatever fruit is in season.

One of the secret shortcuts to this dessert is using frozen puff pastry. It is a dough that rises dramatically in the oven for spectacular desserts or savory dishes. Regular puff pastry is perfect if you’re not gluten-free, but be sure you get a gluten-free dough if you are baking for someone who is gluten-free or celiac.

My favorite is Dufour brand. Extremely high quality and they now have a gluten-free version! It is a winner in my book. Easy to use and roll out, just be sure you use gluten-free flour on the surface! I found the Dufour at Whole Foods grocery store in my area. Check them out if you can – it is a game changer. One note – unlike regular puff pastry, this package only contains one folded piece of pastry. Buy two boxes if you are making two of these tarts.

When you are using puff pastry, you can control the amount of rise and area that puffs up in the oven. You use a fork to pierce holes in the area you want to keep flat – that is called docking. In today’s pastry, you dock the center of the tart so you have a nice level area to spread the cheesecake filling.

Another way to enhance the look of your pastry is to brush it with an egg wash, a blending of an egg and water. This helps the pastry take on more color and gives you a beautiful golden brown result. It can take an ordinary dessert and make it spectacular.

The egg wash also acts as a glue to hold pieces of pastry together during baking. Lightly brush it onto the surface, in this case the edges of the pastry, and set the strips of pastry dough on top. Gently press them together and bake.

When you are rolling out the dough, you can make the tart any shape you like. Rectangular is the easiest but you can do square or even oval if you trim off the corners. Be sure you dust the top of the dough and your rolling pin with a little extra flour as needed.

In the recipe I have you trim a small strip off each side of the dough rectangle and use them to build a border. I took a shortcut and just folded the dough over instead of cutting it. As a result my edges didn’t puff the way I wanted them to, so follow the directions in the recipe and yours will be prettier than mine!

You can use any fruit that you love and that is in season. Go crazy with cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, etc. They all would be wonderful with the creamy filling.

Brushing the fruits with melted jelly gives them shine and sparkle and makes your tart look like a professional made it. You can use red currant, strawberry, or apricot jelly. Melt it slowly over medium-low heat in a small saucepan.

This fruit tart is lovely for holiday desserts or special occasion treats. You can change the fruits and decorations to suit any holiday. I always get compliments when I serve this tart.

This Patriotic Fruit Tart is a beautiful, colorful, puff pastry tart, filled with a white chocolate cheesecake filling and topped with gorgeous fresh fruits. Today I’m using red and blue fruit for Memorial Day but you can use anything that is in season. Enjoy every luscious bite!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for the Patriotic Fruit Tart:

• Puff pastry (GF if needed), GF flour, egg, turbinado sugar, white chocolate chips, cream cheese, vanilla, heavy cream, brown sugar, salt, fresh raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries (or other seasonal fruit), fruit jelly for the glaze

PRO Tip:

Have all your components ready to go before you get started, finish them as the pastry shell cools. Then you’ll be ready to assemble as soon as possible. This is definitely a dessert you want to serve on the day it is made!

PRO Tip:

If you want a fancier border, you can gently twist the cut strips and place them along the egg wash-brushed edges. Holding the ends, your hands will turn in opposite directions as you twist. Brush lightly with a little more egg wash, being careful not to let any drip down the sides of the tart or you won’t get as high a rise on the edges. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar if desired.

How to make the Patriotic Fruit Tart:

1. Make the Tart Shell: Roll out thawed puff pastry on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to a large rectangle. Place parchment and dough on a baking sheet pan. Cut a thin border off each edge, saving the strips.
2. Brush a little egg wash on the edges of the pastry without letting any drip down the sides of the dough. Place the strips on the egg washed edges to create a border, pressing gently to seal them together. Use a fork to prick (dock) the flat dough in the center of the rectangle until well covered with holes. Brush the center with more egg wash. Chill dough on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes.
3. Bake the Tart Shell: Bake 12 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden. Press down the center gently if it rises or forms bubbles with the back of a spoon. Cool to room temperature.
4. Make the Filling: Melt the white chocolate, stirring until all the pieces have been melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
5. Whip the lightly sweetened cream and brown sugar to stiff peaks. Transfer to another bowl. Beat the cream cheese and vanilla in the original bowl until smooth, then mix in the melted white chocolate, mixing again until smooth and creamy. Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then mix in the remaining whipped cream until smooth and creamy.
6. Fill the Tart: Spread the cream cheese filling in the center of the baked and cooled pastry tart shell. Add the fruit in a decorative style. For a lovely finish and shine, brush the melted jelly over the fruit pieces. Everything will glisten and the fruit will stay fresh a bit longer.
7. To Serve: Slice into pieces and serve immediately for the crunchiest crust. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Can be served chilled or at cool room temperature.

PRO Tip:

Do not use jam or fruit spread in place of the jelly if you are going to brush the fruit for extra shine and sparkle. Jelly gives a clean, smooth covering helping to keep the fruit fresher for an extra day or two.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Rolling pin
• Kitchen scale
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet pan
• Pastry brushes
• Paring knife or pizza cutter
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Small 1-quart saucepan (for the jelly glaze)
• Sharp knife 

Gluten-Free Tips:

* Dufour brand of gluten-free (or regular) puff pastry is amazing. You will love the high quality of their products and the gluten-free dough is difficult to tell from regular puff pastry. Easy to work with, it behaves just like the wheat-based puff pastry you’re used to using! Be sure to use gluten-free flour to roll it out!

Note that Dufour only requires 2 hours in the refrigerator or 45 minutes at room temperature to thaw, not overnight like many other pastry doughs. Also, there is only one sheet in the box, not two like most wheat-based puff pastry brands.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

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Yield: about 8 servings

Patriotic Fruit Tart (GF)

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Happy Memorial Day everyone! This is one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever made! Here is my Patriotic Fruit Tart for your holiday festivities. Packed with gorgeous fresh fruit and a creamy white chocolate cheesecake filling in a puff pastry shell, this is a delightful light dessert any time of the year! Don’t limit yourself, enjoy this with whatever fruit is in season.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 sheet gluten-free puff pastry* (see note below), thawed up to overnight in the refrigerator or according to package directions
• Flour for rolling out the pastry, gluten-free if needed
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water to make an egg wash
• Turbinado sugar, optional

Filling

• 3/4 cup (128g) white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (170g) heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tbsp light brown sugar, firmly packed
• Pinch of kosher salt**
• 4 oz (1/2 block; 113g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Toppings

• 12 to 15 large strawberries, sliced, or as needed
• About 3 to 4 cups (710ml to 946ml) additional fresh fruit such as raspberries and blueberries or other seasonal options
• Red currant, strawberry, or apricot jelly, melted over low heat

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C) or according to package directions. Set out a baking sheet.

2. Prepare the Pastry Shell: Roll the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured sheet of parchment (use GF flour if needed) to a 14x11-inch (36x28 cm) rectangle, dusting the pastry and rolling pin with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut a 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) border along each side, setting the strips aside. If it gets difficult to handle, chill on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer the dough on the parchment to the baking sheet.

3. Lightly brush some of the beaten egg around the pastry perimeter but do not let it drip down over the edges. Place the pastry strips on the pastry perimeter creating a border, placing on top of the brushed egg and pressing gently into pastry base to seal. Trim off any overhang from the strips. Use a paring knife to gently score the border with a decorative pattern if you like. If you want to use the turbinado, very carefully brush a little of the egg wash over just the top of the borders and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

4. Using a fork, prick (dock) the flat pastry center surface about 40 times, Do not prick the borders, and lightly brush the center with additional beaten egg. The docking prevents the center from puffing up giving you a flat area for your filling. Chill the dough for about 20 minutes to firm up the butter and give you a better rise.

5. Bake the tart shell for 12 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. If the center bubbles up, use the back of a spoon to press it gently down while hot. Cool on the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack to room temperature.

6. Make the Filling: Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often until mostly melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set on a kitchen towel. Stir until fully melted and creamy. Set aside.

7. Using the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream until foamy, then add the brown sugar and a pinch of salt, and continue beating to stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl. In the same bowl you used for the whipped cream, beat the cream cheese and vanilla until smooth, then mix in the melted white chocolate (reheat white chocolate gently if needed in the microwave to loosen it). Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined. Add the remaining whipped cream, mixing just until smooth and creamy.

8. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the center of the baked and cooled tart shell. Top with the fruit in a decorative pattern. If you want your tart to really shine and last longer, melt the jelly in a small saucepan, and brush the fruit with some of the melted jelly. This helps seal the fruit keeping it fresh for a bit longer. Serve immediately.

9. Best eaten right after it has been made. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.

Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

* Dufour brand of gluten-free (or regular) puff pastry is amazing. You will love the high quality of their products and the gluten-free dough is easy to work with. It behaves just like the wheat-based puff pastry you’re used to using! Be sure to use gluten-free flour to roll it out! Schaar also has frozen puff pastry that you may be able to find more easily.

Note that Dufour only requires 2 hours in the refrigerator or 45 minutes at room temperature to thaw, not overnight like many other pastry doughs. Also, there is only one sheet in the box, not two like most wheat-based puff pastry brands.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 81mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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