PHILADELPHIA BLUEBERRY-CORN TART
Adapted from Baking Chez Moi, Recipes From My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere, by Dorie Greenspan
With all the amazing cheeses that are made in France—and there are more than three hundred of them—you wouldn’t think that the introduction of an American cheese, and a processed one at that, would be cause for celebration. But when cream cheese, known as “Philadelphia” in France, recently began turning up in supermarkets, with billboards and advertisements on buses announcing its arrival, there was cheering among the locals.
And everyone was delighted with this tart, which combines two very American ingredients, blueberries and corn, with Philadelphia. The crust is a classic French sweet tart shell and its texture is perfect with the filling, a light swirly mix of cream cheese, whipped cream and honey. As good as the filling is, it’s even better with the topping, a quickly made blueberry jam, bolstered with lemon zest and scented with rosemary. Once the jam thickens, you stir in lemon juice, whole blueberries and corn kernels, so that you get a wonderful mix of cooked and fresh, smooth and chunky, soft and snappy.
Makes 8 servings
For the topping
1 1/2 pints (about 450 grams) fresh blueberries
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons water
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Sprig of rosemary
Squirt of lemon juice
Kernels from 1 ear fresh corn (or 3/4 cup/113 grams frozen corn, thawed, or canned corn, drained)
For the filling
1/2 cup (120 ml) very cold heavy cream
1/2 pound (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (optional)
1 fully baked 9- to 9 1/2 -inch tart crust made with Sweet Tart Dough, cooled
To make the topping: Put 1 pint of the berries into a medium saucepan with high sides (berries spatter and can be messy), stir in the sugar, water and lemon zest and toss in the rosemary sprig. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the berries begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for another 3 minutes or so, until the jam thickens slightly—your spoon will leave tracks.
Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the jam into a bowl; discard the rosemary sprig. Stir in the lemon juice and corn kernels. Put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the topping is cool.
Stir in the remaining 1/2 pint blueberries. (The topping can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator.)
To make the filling: Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a small bowl with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. If you’re using a stand mixer, scrape the cream into another bowl and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment (there’s no need to wash the bowl); if you’re using a hand mixer, work in a medium bowl.
Beat the cream cheese until it’s soft. Add the sugar, honey and salt and beat until fully incorporated; the cream cheese will be smooth and satiny. Mix in the vanilla and then the yogurt, if you’re using it.
With a flexible spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the filling.
To finish the tart: Scrape the filling into the crust and smooth the top—it’s okay if it domes. Spoon the topping over the filling, either spreading it to cover the filling or allowing it to go free-form. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serving: The tart is best served chilled. No need for any accompaniment, it’s a self-sufficient sweet.
Storing: You can make the topping up to 1 day ahead and you can keep the assembled tart in the refrigerator, lightly covered, overnight.
Bonne Idée: While ready-made cookie and cracker crusts are not common in France, they’re a convenience in the States, and either a chocolate crumb crust or a graham cracker crust would be nice for this tart. With a ready-made crust, you can have this sweet on the table in a flash.