Enter the wild world of blogging 101

A K A , retired old guy posts his first blog page.

My name is Clark Williams, also known as the foodie guy down the street. My neighbors seem to know when I am home and more so, when the next batch of pesto will be ready. My love of food stems back 50 + years while making my way through the food industry from blending spice compounds for a custom application to seeing  the final product emerge and tasting the blissful end results.

In my retirement years and with my love of all things food, I decided to persue becoming a personal chef just for the pure love of the craft. My intent was to fine tune the skills I had acquired in the food industry and take them to the personal level.

My first post will comprise of a tried and true recipe I wish to share, and if I don't break Blogger in the process, I look forward to coming back and sharing more.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ cup              Confectioners sugar

1 ½ cups          AP flour

1 ½ sticks        Unsalted butter, softened and sliced

Filling:

1 pkg.             Cream Cheese (8 oz), softened

½ cup             Granulated sugar

1 tsp               Pure vanilla extract

Topping:         Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blackberries, raspberries

Glaze:

1 can              Frozen limeade concentrate (6oz) thawed

1 Tbsp           Cornstarch                  

1 Tbsp           Fresh limejuice

¼ cup            Granulated sugar                     

Whipped Cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F

For the crust:  In a food processor, combine the confectioners sugar, flour, and butter, process until the mixture forms a ball.  With your fingers, press the dough into a 12” tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides of the pan.  Pat until the crust is even.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling and topping:  Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth.  Spread over the cooled crust.  Start your design from the edge inwards. Cut the strawberries into ¼” slices and arrange around the edge of the crust.  For the next circle, use kiwi slices. Add a circle of blackberries and raspberries finishing with a whole strawberry in the center to finish.

For the Glaze:  Combine the limeade, cornstarch, limejuice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes.  Let cool.  With a pastry brush, glaze the entire tart.  You will not use all the glaze.

Refrigerate the tart.  About 15 minutes before serving, remove and slice into 8 wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8