This recipe is from Bon Appétit magazine and makes a great Summer dessert. I thought the filling maybe needed a bit more ooomph — next time, I may add a teaspoon or two of orange or lemon liqueur. Of course, this might also be because I used “light” cream cheese. Perhaps that was a mistake. Next time? Bring on the fat.
To get the crust nicely padded into the tart pan, I usually use a shot glass to help flatten the bottom and press the sides up. This works very well. I forget where I learned that tip but I did not make it up myself.
Use ripe, tasty nectarines for this — you will not be sorry.
Crust
25 gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken (about 6 ounces; about 2 1/4 cups pieces)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
Optional: 1-2 tsp of your favorite citrusy liqueur (Grand Marnier? Limoncello?)
Topping
4 to 5 small nectarines, halved, pitted, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup peach jam, warmed
2 tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely grind gingersnaps in processor. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Use a shot glass for a nice, even surface!
Bake crust until color darkens, pressing sides with back of spoon if beginning to slide, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
For filling:
Beat first 6 ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in crystallized ginger. Liqueur? Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
For topping:
Overlap nectarine slices atop filling in concentric circles. Don’t feel bad if you get lazy by the time you get to the center. I did.
Brush with jam. Sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger. Remove sides of tart pan by putting the tart on a can or jar and pulling the rim down. Serve, or refrigerate up to 6 hours.
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I have read a bunch of great books lately. I thought I would share:
I don’t really understand you comment procedure. Am I supposed to write your name, or my town?
The ingredients for this dessert look great — that is what I wanted to say!
Betty:
Sorry about that! I am trying to find a new spam filter that will work and that evidently was not it. It’s gone now. Thanks for posting! Hope you enjoy making the dessert 🙂
So now I know what I can use the shot glasses for~just came back from NYC with a suitcase of marscapone,guess i will be trying this out. Looks incredible!
Mmmmmm…suitcase of marscapone… 🙂
Well, the recipe looked great, but it didn’t quite come together. I made it exactly according to the instructions (and added a 1/2 tsp triple sec), but didn’t put the filling in ahead of time. It was so much more liquidy looking than in the picture, I was worried it would make the crust soggy. It was a big liquid mess, but tasted great. I think I’ll stick to a pastry crust and more cream-cheese based filling from now on…but it was a tasty failure!
Chaya:
Oh, I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you 🙁
That was the recipe as I got it from epicurious.com…hmmmm…maybe if you try it again, use chilled cream and marscapone cheeses?
Well, at least it was tasty!! 🙂
I’m just revisiting your site after a long absence from catching up on blogs and I see I’ve missed a lot! This tart looks so great – I love tarts like this with a spicy crust – I’ll have to try gingersnaps next time! There are many recipes I can’t wait to try! Thanks!
Greetings from Va Beach,
Man I’m lovin your recipes! I’ve made this tart multiple times and my mom and I can’t get enough of it. I really enjoy how you put your own spin on the recipes you use.