Spring

Guava Cream Cheese Tart

May  6, 2019
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Danielle Ruelas
  • Prep time 40 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

Last summer, I made Amanda Hesser’s Peach Tart for some friends and I’m still hearing about how much everyone loved it. The recipe is perfect, really, but I wanted to experiment with other fruit. As I perused the isles at the local market, the guavas jumped out at me and so I thought I would give them a try. Here is my shot at recipe “off-roading”. It came out deliciously. Only thing I would do differently is use pink guavas to make a prettier tart. —Danielle Ruelas

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Ingredients
  • 12 ripe guavas (approximately)
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
Directions
  1. Removing the ends first, slice the guavas in quarters lengthwise and spoon out the seedy insides. Then slice each quarter once more until you have eight pieces from each guava. No need to remove the skins. Turn your oven on to 425 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar for the tart dough. In a separate small bowl, whisk the oils (1/4 cup each), 2 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together using a fork, until the dough just barely comes together. Avoid overworking.
  3. Dump the dough into an 11 inch tart pan. Using your hands, gently press the dough along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. This will take just a bit of time and should come out pretty thin once complete, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim off any excess dough.
  4. In a medium, microve-safe bowl, microwave the cream cheese for about 30 seconds, until quite soft, then stir. Whisk in the egg yolk, 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the mixture over the bottom of the tart dough and spread evenly.
  5. Next, arrange the guava slices in a circular pattern starting from the outside and working your way to the middle, placing them quite close together. Of course, you could have some fun here and arrange the fruit any which way you like.
  6. Reusing the dough bowl, mix the 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Once incorporated, add in the butter, using your fingers, work the mixture until small pea-sized butter balls form. Evenly sprinkle the mixture over the top of the fruit.
  7. Place your tart in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35-45 minutes, keeping in mind that you may need to turn it half way depending on your oven (I did). Pull the tart out once the crust has slightly browned, and the fruit is golden and engulfed in a shiny, bubbly pool. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely so the tart can firm up. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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1 Review

Bryant R. May 7, 2019
Wow this was seriously so delicious and simple!!