Elegant Fresh Berry Tart

Spring has arrived in the real way, not the Chicago-teasing-you way, but the actual warm-light-jacket weather, and I have opened the windows every day this week and the apartment has smelled like the city doing its spring thing: someone's grill four buildings over, someone's flowering tree, the exhaust of the 59 bus, the particular clean cold of Lake Michigan wind from the east that Chicago has in April when the wind switches. This is my city. I have missed this smell.

Owen has learned to say "outside." He stands at the door and says it clearly and often, and then looks at me with the expectation of someone who has learned that requesting a thing by name produces results. He is right. It produces results. We go outside. He stands on the sidewalk and looks at the neighborhood with the satisfaction of an explorer who has reached a satisfying destination. Then he wants to be picked up, which means his enthusiasm for "outside" is more about the transit than the destination.

Nora has learned to say "no." She says it with conviction that would impress a courtroom. She says it to food she has eaten happily the day before. She says it to Ryan when he tries to change her diaper. She says it to Owen when he comes near her block tower. She says it to me, briefly, before immediately saying "up," which means she does not actually mean no, she means not yet, which is a distinction I respect. We are going to be fine, she and I.

Lighter cooking now that the windows are open. Spring salads with whatever is at the Jewel clearance, a cold sesame noodle dish that I have been making since my mid-twenties, the grilled chicken that Ryan does on the balcony grill while I make a salad inside. April is my favorite cooking month: the fatigue of winter soup has lifted and the abundance of summer has not yet arrived and there is a middle season of bright simple things that I love.

April has been asking for exactly this kind of thing — not the heavy casseroles of February or the elaborate projects I save for when I have more than twenty consecutive minutes, but something bright and fresh and a little bit pretty that I can put together while Ryan is on the balcony with the grill and Owen is saying “outside” at the door. Fresh berries just appeared at the Jewel clearance rack this week, which felt like the neighborhood handing me a reason, and this tart is what I made with them. It is the right amount of effort for an April evening with the windows open.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
2–3 tablespoons ice water
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons apricot jam or honey, warmed (for glaze)

Instructions

Make the pastry shell. In a food processor (or by hand with a pastry cutter), combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork it.
Chill the dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Blind bake the shell. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Press the chilled dough evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing up the sides. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake another 5 minutes until the crust is lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the cream filling. Beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice together with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Fill the tart shell. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly into the cooled tart shell, smoothing it to the edges.
Arrange the berries. Arrange the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries over the filling in whatever pattern pleases you — concentric circles look elegant, but an honest scatter works just as well.
Glaze and serve. Brush the berries gently with the warmed apricot jam or honey to give them a light, glossy finish. Dust the edges of the crust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Elegant Fresh Berry Tart — The Bright, Simple Thing April Asked For