Berry Cheesecake Crumb Tart

I just looked at the calendar today and realized the July 4th holiday was a week away.  Eek, where does the time go?  But, the occasion also means another gathering of the Holiday Food Party Bloggers, creating some tasty, picnic themed recipes to celebrate.  I first saw this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker and immediately pinned it.  I didn't know when I'd get to it but I knew for sure that I would.  Then a few weeks ago, when I started thinking about my summer holiday desserts, I decided that one would be perfect.  The original recipe only included strawberries but I added blueberries, too, because I love the two fruits together and both go so well with cheesecake.

I first tried out the recipe on Mother's Day and brought it to Brian's mother's house.  I told everyone that this was a recipe test and that I wanted their full and honest feedback and they all certainly took their jobs seriously.  They studied every nuance of this pie as they ate it.  They examined every layer like the judging panel of the Pillsbury Bake Off.  Most of them announced that they needed a second helping in order to properly evaluate.  There was much discussion about the cookie base that was in the original recipe and, ultimately, they concluded that they enjoyed eating it on its own but, as a whole, the cream cheese layer was getting lost.  Hmm.  I can fix that.

So, over the Memorial Day weekend, I remade the dessert with a pie base instead of a cookie base and everyone agreed they preferred it.  Of course, considering how the first pie was ravaged, they obviously didn't object much to that version either!  Whichever base you use, this dessert is a winner and I'll be making a lot more of it.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
(Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Base:
1 Cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 Cup ice water

Filling:
16 oz. Cream cheese
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Pint blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1/3 Cup sugar
1/4 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 Stick unsalted butter, melted

Make the pastry dough by adding the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Add the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  With the machine running, slowly pour the ice water through the feed tube until a dough ball forms.  Pat the dough out on a lightly floured surface, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 10" around and lay it into a 9" tart shell, preferably one with a removable bottom.  Line the tart shell with parchment paper, fill it with pie weights and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the pie weights and return the tart shell to the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until it is a light golden brown.

Make the crumb topping by combing the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Pour in the melted butter, mix and allow to stand for 5 minutes.  With your hands, crumble the mixture onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Toss the crumbs around, making sure none are burning, and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

Make the cheese mixture by beating together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  When the tart shell has cooled, pour half the cream cheese batter into it, layer on the strawberries and blueberries and top with the remaining cream cheese batter.  Top the pie with the baked crumbs and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  Makes about 8 servings.

Be sure to check out all the other July 4th deliciousness our group has put together.

1. Berry Cheesecake Crumb Tart from Hungry Couple NYC
2. California Burgers from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
3. 4th of July Ice Cream Cones from Roxana’s Home Baking
4. Red, White & Blueberry Parfaits from Cravings of a Lunatic
5. Red, White & Blue Deviled Eggs from Created by Diane
6. Summer Berry Pizza from Magnolia Days
7. Sparkling Pineapple Cake Martini from The Messy Baker
8. Red, White & Bleu Mac ‘N Cheese from Juanita’s Cocina
9. Red, White & Blue Vanilla Bean Spritzers from Pineapple and Coconut
10. Red, White & Blue S’mores Pies from Big Bears Wife
11. Lemon Raspberry Sugarless Cookies from What Smells so Good
12. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Squares from Chocolate Moosey
13. Berry Trifle from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
14. Watermelon Mojito Ice Pops from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen