Easy Puff Pastry Fruit Tart with Cream Cheese

Enjoy a flaky pastry dough with a touch of sweetness and a refreshing tart flavor from the fresh berries. This easy puff pastry fruit tart is perfect for your next backyard party.

Tools Needed

Here are the key tools I use to make this recipe:

Marble Rolling Pin. A heavy rolling pin helps you roll out the dough evenly without putting pressure on your wrists.

Glass Bowl. You will need a bowl for the cream and a bowl for the dough if you are making that by hand.

Knife. Cutting the fresh strawberries and butter.

Pizza Cutter. Helps cut the puff pastry dough smoothly.

Plastic Wrap. Wrap the puff pastry dough to rest in the fridge.

Half Sheet Pan. Bake the puff pastry dough.

Half Size Parchment Paper Sheets. Bake the puff pastry dough on these sheets. They are convenient and so easy to use.

Hand Mixer. Mix the cream using the hand-held mixer.

Fork or Mini Whisk. Used to beat the egg for the eggwash.

Ingredients Needed

Cold Butter. This will provide a flaky dough with layers.

All Purpose Flour. Use unbleached flour. My favorite brand is King Arthur Flour.

Water. Some may argue that purified water is part of the magic, but I have succeeded with tap water the puff pastry dough turns out perfect each time.

Salt. I have used fine sea salt and pink himalayan salt. Both have turned out great in the dough.

Cream Cheese. Use your favorite brand and low-fat if you like that flavor.

Farmers cheese is a very traditional European cheese that makes many dishes taste good and gives an extra boost of protein. It's not always easy to find, but with some research, I found it in Whole Foods. Here is the link to this amazing farmer's cheese I used for this puff pastry fruit tart. If you do not have this cheese on hand, you can use cottage cheese. I suggest you remove any water content in the cottage cheese and blend in a blender to make the curds a little smoother.

Sweetened Condensed Milk. Add sweetness with sweetened condensed milk. Don't know what that is? It is milk and sugar cooked together to make a sweet syrup to enjoy with any dessert. I love adding this instead of sugar to a lot creams that I make.

Vanilla Extract. .Use a quality pure vanilla extract to get the right flavors.

Berries. Use your favorite berries or fruit of your choice. I used raspberries, strawberries and blueberries and this turned out absolutely delicious!

Egg. Use the egg to create a shine on the puff pastry.

How to Make The Recipe

This recipe is all homemade. With just five ingredients, you will make the easiest puff pastry dough in the world. No need for the expensive store-bought puff pastry dough.

Let's start by making the homemade puff pastry dough:

1. Add flour and salt into the glass bowl.
2. Cut cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour and salt.
3. Rub the butter into the flour until the pieces are small and flattened. Having butter pieces in the flour mixture is good and necessary to create that flaky dough texture.
4. Create a pool in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the water and start mixing the dough.
5. Mix the dough until all ingredients are combined.
6. Cover the dough ball with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
7. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on a clean surface.
8. Stretch or press the dough out into a rectangle shape.
9. Use the marble rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle, about a 12x6 inch size.
   • You should see butter pieces and the dough should look marbly.
10. Fold like a letter, 3 fold.
11. Roll out the dough and fold two more times
12. After the third fold, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Make the Cream

1. While the dough is resting, make the cream
2. Add softened cream cheese, farmer's cheese, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk to a bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients until smooth.
3. Set aside.

Prepare your fruits

1. Rinse all the berries.
2. Slice strawberries into thin layers.

Baking the Puff Pastry Dough

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F
2. Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a 16 x 20 inch rectangle.
3. Using a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry dough into 12 rectangular pieces.
4. Fold each side of the rectangle ¼ inch in, creating a thicker edge on the pastry.
5. Place the rectangle puff pastry dough pieces on a half-size baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Beat the egg with a fork or a mini whisk. Using a pastry brush, cover the folded edges of the pastry with eggwash.
7. Take a fork and poke the center of the pastry with the fork so that it will not rise where the cream and berries will sit in this area.
8. Bake the puff pastry dough for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Putting the Fruit Tart Together

1. Place the baked puff pastry rectangles onto a platter or board.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of cream into the center and spread evenly in the middle of the puff pastry.
3. Add the berries in your desired pattern on top of the cream.
4. Can be enjoyed immediately.

How to Store Leftovers

Store the easy summer fruit puff pastry tarts in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3 days. If stored for a long period of time, the fruit will start releasing juices, which will make the puff pastry dough soggy.

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