Fresh Fruit Tart

Happy Memorial Day!!! Yay summer is OFFICIALLY here.  However, living in Arizona the heat and sun has made it feel like summer since the middle of April. You would think that since I was born and raised here that I would be used to the heat.  That I would be used to the fact that most years we see 100 degrees by the end of April.  That come the middle of May stepping outside means you start to sweat instantly.  That the only way to escape the heat is to stay inside where you have the comfort of the air conditioner.  That come July it is STILL 100 degrees at midnight. Like I said, you would think I’d be used to all of that, but I’m not. 

I have an extreme love/hate relationship with Arizona.  From November to March I LOVE this state, but come April to October, Arizona makes it extremely hard for me to love her.  The only thing that keeps my sanity is knowing that the cool weather is only about a two hour drive away.

Any ways.  I’ll stop my rambling and tell you about what I made.  My mother’s birthday was last weekend, and instead of making her a birthday cake, I made her a fresh fruit tart. 

My oh my was it delicious.  It was the perfect ending to a family bbq in honor of my mother.  This tart is oh so delicious. It’s the perfect summer treat.  Go. Make it. You’ll love me for it.

Like most fruit tarts, this recipe had a glaze, but I didn’t use it.  I think that the glazes take away from the flavor of the fresh fruit and add too much sugar.  Plus this specific glaze wasn’t very tasty.  However, if you do want to try it with the glaze then click here.

Fresh Fruit Tart

(Recipe from Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

Crust:

                        ½ cup powdered sugar

                        1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

                        1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, sliced and softened

            Filling:

                        1 - 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

                        ½ cup granulated sugar

                        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                        2 teaspoons lime zest

            Toppings:

                        Strawberries

                        Raspberries

                        Blueberries

                        Kiwis

                        Whatever your heart desires

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a food processor, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides and form a ball.

Then dumb the dough into an 11inch tart pan (with a removable bottom).  Using your fingers, press the dough all along the bottom and along the sides of the tart pan.  Make it as even as possible so it cooks evenly in the oven.  Bake for 10-11 minutes; the crust should be a light brown when it is down. Set aside and let the crust cool.

While the crust is cooking you can prep all of your fruit.  Wash the berries, cut what needs to be cut, and get it ready for assembly.   

Then, using a mixer beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lime zest until it is smooth.  The filling should look fluffy and creamy.  Spoon the filling into the tart crust and spread evenly.

Then assemble your fruit tart however you would like.  Just make sure it looks pretty. :)

Once the tart is assembled place it in your fridge until 20 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Then eat it outside, on your porch, with the people you love the most.

Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake

I DID IT! Yesterday I woke up at 4:45am to get ready for my first race! I was so excited and so nervous when I woke up I couldn’t really eat, but I forced myself too. Then I quickly got ready, picked up my friend Lauren, and headed to ASU to meet up with about 30,000 other runners to run 4.2 miles in honor of Pat Tillman. Let me tell you this: IT WAS AWESOME. My official time was 49:23, that’s about an 11:46 mile – my fastest time yet! My friends Lauren and Charles ran with me too.

We tried to stay together, but eventually all got separated. When I started running by myself I started to talk to my feet (I needed something to get my mind off how bad my knees hurt). I just kept telling them “You can do this!” and “Come on feet! Take me places!” A little bit crazy? Yes. But did it help? Yes. I also liked running in an actual race because having people pass me pushed me to run faster so that I could pass someone else. I think that’s why my time was faster than it normal is. All I know is that It was the best feeling in the world to cross the finish line and feel SO ACCOMPLISHED. My knees were killing, my body was dehydrated, my feet wanted me to sit down, but for the first 10 seconds after I crossed the finished line none of that matter because I accomplished my goal! GO ME!

So to reward myself for my awesome run yesterday I decided to make this oh so delicious blueberry poppy seed cake and eat TWO pieces as soon as it was done! This recipe is originally from Joy the Baker, but I adapted it slightly. I cut out some of the oil and added some Greek yogurt. Instead of making a blueberry glaze, I added the blueberries into the actual cake and then made a lemon glaze on top. SERIOUSLY. LEMON AND BLUEBERRY ARE THE BEST FLAVOR COMBINATION EVER. It’s my favorite. It should be yours too. I also think you should get your butts in the kitchen and make this recipe as soon as you are done reading my post! Deal? Deal.

(Beware I got a little picture happy with this recipe.)

Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake
(Adapted from Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup Greek yogurt*
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 – 2 ½ cups fresh, or frozen, blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F**. Grease and flour a ten inch bundt cake pan. Then, in a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set Aside

In a medium bowl combine oil, Greek yogurt, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until there are no lumps in the batter.

Then fold in poppy seeds.

Then fold in blueberries.

Bake 325F for 1hr 15 mins – 1hr 25mins***. Let cool completely in bundt cake pan.

Once cooled, release cake from pan by flipping it over. Then glaze the cake with a mix of powdered sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice). THEN DEVOUR!

Notes:
*You can use plain yogurt if you like, I just prefer Greek yogurt. You could even use the original 1 1/3 cup canola oil if that is all you have
**&*** The original recipe says the cake should be baked at 325 fro 35-45 minutes. Mine took a lot longer than that. I don’t know if it was because of the Greek yogurt, the frozen blueberries, or just because I was too excited to keep the oven door shut. So your cooking time may very. Also, trying baking the cake at 350 for a less amount of time. Let me know what worked best for you!