Végétalien Tarte aux Fruits Frais (The Vegan French Fresh Fruit Tart)

I've always noticed these bright, cheerful little tarts outshining all the creamy eclairs and frosty rose petaled cakes in bakeries, but have never actually had one. There were always eggs and cream to avoid, or a lack of events to justify making one. But that doesn't mean I never thought about it. If you've ever been to Paris, theses tarts are in every coffee shop and Patisserie widow, flirting with you like only a Parisian can. Those tarts are so polished and flawless, they could grace the cover of a magazine. Even the humblest cafe serves supermodel-caliber tarts.

I might have been a little overly eager with this tart, and maxed it out with as much fruit as I could get on there. In the end it turned out a little less perfect than I would have hoped, but maybe just a little more delicious. These beautiful baked goods combine fresh colorful fruit and a buttery shortbread-ish crust into the perfect storm of desserts that will melt in your mouth in a combination of sweet vanilla cream, tangy fruit and a slightly savory crust.

A storm that you can now make in your very own home!

Vegan Fresh Fruit Tart
Crust

• 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 Cup Margarine
• 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar

Heat oven to 350.

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until dough forms. Press dough firmly and evenly into an 11 inch tart pan. You'll want to press the dough into the sides, creating a little pie crust well in the center.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until your crust is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Filling

• 1 8oz Package Vegan Cream Cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon Bourbon (you can just use more Vanilla though if alcohol isn't your thing)
• 1/2 Cup Sugar

Toppings

• Slices of your favorite Fresh Fruit: We used 2 White Peaches, 2 Kiwi Fruit (peeled), 1 Apricot, Blueberries and Boysenberries but some other popular choices are Strawberries, Raspberries, Melons, and Mangos

In a bowl, blend Vegan Cream Cheese, Vanilla, Bourbon, and Sugar with a hand held mixer until it is smooth and creamy.

Once your crust is room temperature, use a spatula to spread your Vanilla Filling evenly into the crust. I used all the filling, but it's your call on how creamy you want your tart to be and how much you want to add.

Then arrange your rinsed, dried and sliced fruit on top of the Vanilla filling very slowly and deliberately to create your pattern. You're going to want to have an idea going into your tart as to what fruit you want where because it will be messy and troublesome to move a slice of fruit once it goes into the Vanilla filling. I suggest fanning and layering your fruit like we did if you want to get the most fruit possible on there. I also like the rosebud look it created.

Once your toppings are arranged, cover your tart with plastic wrap and cool for 20 minutes before serving to firm up your filling. When you serve, be sure and remove your tart cover (the ring on the outside of the pan) first if your tart pan come in 2 pieces. It will make it easier to serve and cut. You do this by gently lifting the tart from the ring from underneath. The plate holding the tart should separate from the ring. Again his is only if your tart pan comes in 2 pieces. I recommend practicing a bit before you start your tart.

Now this is an unglazed tart, because we love fresh fruit and didn't want to hide it under more sugar. But here's a recipe if you would like to glaze yours.

Glaze

• 3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1/3 Cup Sugar

Blend all your ingredients into a bowl with an electric hand held mixer until smooth. If it is too thin for your liking add more cornstarch a pinch at a time. If it is too thick add more Lemon Juice a 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Once you like the consistency, drizzle over the top of your chilled tart before serving.

You can also just dust your tart with powdered sugar if that's more your style. I mean really, isn't that another charming thing about this tart... it gives you an opportunity to be creative and delicious all at once. More perfect storming.