Easy, Fresh, Fruit Tart

If you haven't already picked up on this by now, I should probably tell you that I am an extremely tactile person! I get a ridiculous amount of enjoyment from things that look pretty, feel soft, smell good, etc. As a kid, I used to like to walk barefoot in the garden after I watered it because I liked the feel of mud squishing between my toes! My mom once scolded me soundly when she found a collection of crayon shavings hidden in my closet. I had been keeping them because I thought all the colors looked pretty. My little cutie-pie niece seems to be similar to her (adoring) Auntie in this. Last Christmas the ladies in my family (big and little) did a little after-Christmas shopping. We were standing in line at a store that had some CDs by the cash register. I was watching Bekah touch the shiny plastic with her fingers and filling up with wonder over the way little kids are so sensory when she then picked up the CD and started rubbing it on her cheek. That made me laugh out loud. I knew exactly what she was doing! I have done the same thing on many occasions. If something feels soft or interesting under your fingers, it will feel 10 times more so if you rub it against your cheek!

Anyway, I digress...

I made a dessert this morning for a work party that made my sensory receptors buzz and sing for joy: Looks colorful & pretty, feels nice in my mouth and tastes completely YUMMY! It is a recipe for a fruit tart that my mom found years ago. I have requested it for my birthday dessert for several years in a row now. My family is pretty healthy and we typically eat normal serving sizes. However, I will confess that just my mom and dad and I will often eat this entire dessert in one day!

Here you go:

Easy, Fresh, Fruit Tart

Heat oven to 375 degrees

2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened (almost melted) butter
1 egg

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
dash of almond extract
¾ cup whipping cream (or 1/2 carton of Cool Whip)

Assorted fresh fruits
½ cup apple jelly, melted

- Grease cookie sheet; dust with baking mix.
- Mix baking mix and 1/3 cup sugar.
- Mix in softened butter until crumbly
- Mix in egg until dough forms.
- Pat dough into 12x10” rectangle on cookie sheet (Dough will stick to fingers; keep either flour handy to coat fingers or shortening to keep fingers greasy.)
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool completely.
- Beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla in small bowl on low speed until smooth.
- Beat in whipping cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form. If you use Cool Whip, then just fold in 1/2 carton.
- Spread over crust to within ¼” of rim.
- Arrange fruits decoratively on top
- Brush with melted jelly.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Yields: 8-10 servings (unless you are a member of the Dieter family. Then it is closer to 6!)







I made this dessert the normal way since it was for co-workers, however, it adjusts beautifully for someone with dietary issues. A brand called Pamela's makes a awesome gluten-free baking mix that can take the place of Bisquick and Tofuti makes a really good dairy-free cream cheese. The result is almost indistinguishable from the original.

Happy Monday to you!!