Recipe: Fresh Summer Berry Tart

Like the classic French fresh fruit tarts you see in fancy pastry shops, this American berry tart has serious panache. But we want you to enjoy your time so we came up with a simpler approach.

We've replaced the pastry cream filling with a sweetened cream cheese, and used a simple press-in crust. And if you can't be bothered to arrange your berries neatly, you can just pile them on top. Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream and you have the perfect, impressive summertime dessert.

Fresh Summer Berry Tart

Makes 8 servings

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut up

2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

Two packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Fresh berries (such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries)

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with baking spray.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter, then pulse together, adding cold water as needed, until a dough forms that sticks together easily when you squeeze it.

3. Press the mixture into the tart pan, making sure to press the dough up the sides. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden and the center is slightly firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

4. Once the crust has cooled, make the filling. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Spread the filling evenly in the shell. Top with berries and serve.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 506 calories; 280 calories from fat; 31 g fat (20 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 92 mg cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 2 g fiber; 290 mg sodium.