No-Fuss Fruit Tart
by Nigella. Featured in KITCHENIntroduction
This is perhaps one of the most useful puddings you can have in your repertoire. Not that it is the job of a pudding to be useful: a pudding exists merely to delight. Still, dinner does need to be made, even when there’s precious little time for it and that should be a delight, too. So here’s the deal: there is pitifully little work to be done to make this berry-dazzler of a tart, and enormous pleasure to be derived from its consumption.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
This is perhaps one of the most useful puddings you can have in your repertoire. Not that it is the job of a pudding to be useful: a pudding exists merely to delight. Still, dinner does need to be made, even when there’s precious little time for it and that should be a delight, too. So here’s the deal: there is pitifully little work to be done to make this berry-dazzler of a tart, and enormous pleasure to be derived from its consumption.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 8-10
- 375 grams crumbled digestive biscuits
- 75 grams soft unsalted butter
- 400 grams cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 240 grams lemon curd (at room temperature)
- 125 grams blueberries
- 125 grams blackberries
- 125 grams raspberries
- 125 grams redcurrants (or pomegranate seeds)
- 125 grams small strawberries
- 3¾ cups crumbled graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- 16 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 cup lemon curd (at room temperature)
- 4 ounces blueberries
- 4 ounces blackberries
- 4 ounces raspberries
- 4 ounces red currants (or pomegranate seeds)
- 4 ounces small strawberries
Method
- Process the biscuits and the butter to a sandy rubble and press into the sides and bottom of a deep-sided fluted tart tin approx. 25cm diameter x 4–5cm deep / 10inch diameter x 2 inches deep with a loose base. Place in the freezer (or fridge if that is not possible) for about 10–15 minutes.
- In a clean processor bowl, process the cream cheese and lemon curd (or just mix by hand) and spread into the bottom of the chilled tart tin, covering the base evenly.
- Arrange the fruit gently (so it doesn’t sink in too much) on top of the lemony cream cheese in a decorative manner, leaving some of the strawberries unhulled, with their picturesque stalks attached.
- Place the tart in the fridge, preferably overnight, though for at least 4 hours. It does need to get properly cold in order to set enough for the tart to be unsprung and sliced easily.
- Process the biscuits and the butter to a sandy rubble and press into the sides and bottom of a deep-sided fluted tart tin approx. 25cm diameter x 4–5cm deep / 10inch diameter x 2 inches deep with a loose base. Place in the freezer (or fridge if that is not possible) for about 10–15 minutes.
- In a clean processor bowl, process the cream cheese and lemon curd (or just mix by hand) and spread into the bottom of the chilled tart tin, covering the base evenly.
- Arrange the fruit gently (so it doesn’t sink in too much) on top of the lemony cream cheese in a decorative manner, leaving some of the strawberries unhulled, with their picturesque stalks attached.
- Place the tart in the fridge, preferably overnight, though for at least 4 hours. It does need to get properly cold in order to set enough for the tart to be unsprung and sliced easily.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
The tart can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with clingfilm or foil, being careful not to press on the filling, and refrigerate. Will keep for around 4 days.
FREEZE:
The tart, without fruit topping, can be frozen for up to 3 months if made with full-fat cream cheese, but be warned it may "weep" on defrosting so is not ideal for freezing. Open-freeze tart until firm, then wrap (still in its tin) in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. To defrost, unwrap and cover loosely with clingfilm then defrost overnight in the fridge. Decorate and serve as directed in the recipe.
MAKE AHEAD:
The tart can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with clingfilm or foil, being careful not to press on the filling, and refrigerate. Will keep for around 4 days.
FREEZE:
The tart, without fruit topping, can be frozen for up to 3 months if made with full-fat cream cheese, but be warned it may "weep" on defrosting so is not ideal for freezing. Open-freeze tart until firm, then wrap (still in its tin) in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. To defrost, unwrap and cover loosely with clingfilm then defrost overnight in the fridge. Decorate and serve as directed in the recipe.
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Show more commentsMade this last weekend. Rather than making a biscuit case, I used a readymade sweet pastry case from M&S, filled it with the lemon cream and topped it with strawberries, blueberries and blueberries. It was so good, very fresh tasting and it was eaten by my friends in one sitting!
Loved this - like a fresh, summer version of the Nutella Cheesecake from Nigellissima. Made this as part of the bake along, and for a family get together, and it was delicious! I did find that the base was slightly too crumbly and perhaps needed more butter, but the cream cheese and lemon curd mixture was delicious. I did have to choose between a shallow 25cm tin or a deep 21cm tin - I went with shallower and wider, so that I could get more fruit on top, and only needed about 2/3 of the biscuit base.
The discovery of the century. It took me about 20 minutes to make and it looked spectacular and tasted even better.
I make my own Lemon curd which is so much tangy and smoother and even easier and faster in an Instant One Pot.
Amazing recipe very easy and delicious.
Simply delicious.
This was absolutely divine. My only problem was the base crumbled. Felt it needed more butter but taste was perfect. Was delicious.
I used the filling to spoon into tiny ready made pastry cases, and topped them with fruit, they went down very well as part of a high tea!
I have just finished making this..i substituted the lemon curd with 200g of toblerone chocolate melted (wickedly sinful I know) and covered the top with almond slivers...and i must say YUM!
An absolute gem of a recipe. Tried this today as I needed to make a quick dessert for family coming other, and didn't have the time or patience to bake a cake. So simple, so incredibly quick (I didn't follow the 4-hours-to-set instruction and instead put the tart in the 0 compartment of my fridge, which worked a treat) and the family loved it! My mother in law even had two slices, which was shocking and fantastic. I'm so thrilled. Admittedly, I couldn't find berries to top this beauty with (well I could, but they were extortionately priced), so instead substituted the magenta fruit for citrussy green kiwi and passion fruit pulp - it tasted a treat! Also, I don't own a fluted tart tin so used a springform cake tin and worked really well - although it did give the tart the look of a cheesecake... HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! Can't wait to make it again with different fruit and maybe some orange/lime curd next time...
Can't wait to make this, I saw this on TV watching Nigella with mum. My husband will definitely love it :)