Old Glory Tart

We're going away for vacation on the Oregon coast and our first night out will fall on the 4th of July. We'll make it just over the Ca./Ore. border with our first stop being at the Rogue River State Park. Our celebration will be with a few good friends and of course, a BBQ. I'm making Portuguese Burgers, Kimmy is bringing the macaroni salad, and CeeCee is bringing chips and dips. I thought it would be fun to end the evening with this easy patriotic tart!

I made a practice version this last weekend for two reasons.

1. I wanted to practice and made a smaller version,

2. I wanted to share it with you before the 4th!

Its just a simple crust of store bought puff pastry, with a layer of whipped Creme Fraiche flavored with orange zest and Grand Marnier. Red raspberries make the red stripes while piped creme fraiche make the white stripes. Blue berries and piped stars complete Old Glory. I found my creme fraiche at Trader Joe's but if you can't find it, you can sub heavy cream.


Old Glory Tart
By Nancy Kenmore

1 LB frozen puff pastry, defrosted in refer.
1 egg yolk, mixed with 2 tsp water
1 1/2 LB (3 8 oz tubs) creme fraiche
grated rind of 1 large orange
4 TBSP confectioners sugar
4 TBSP Orange liqueur
1 cup blueberries
1 pint red raspberries
2/3 cup raspberry jam

1. Roll out puff pastry into a 16X12 inches. Cut a rectangle out of the middle of the pastry leaving 1/2 inch stripes all around. Place pastry on foil lined baking sheet.Use the strips to make a vertical lip all around the rectangle. Use ice water to help it adhere. Trim away excess pastry.Chill the pastry shell for about 1/2 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and brush the outside lip with the egg yolk mixture. Line the bottom of the shell with foil weighted with dry beans, keeping the foil away from the lip. Bake the pastry until the edges begin to brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking untill the shell is golden brown, about 7 more minutes.
3. In a small bowl, beat creme fraiche and orange zest till soft peaks form. (creme fraiche will whip more quickly then heavy cream) Add confectioners sugar and 2 TBSP
of the orange liqueur and continue beating till stiff peaks form.
4. Transferee 1/2 the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Spread the remaining mixture on the bottom of the cooled tart shell.
5. Arrange the largest unblemished blueberries in a checkerboard pattern in the upper left hand corner of tart. (See picture for reference) Select the largest unblemished raspberries and place in alternating rows about 1/2 inch apart to stimulate the red stripes. Using the creme fraiche mixture in the pastry bag, pipe in the white stars and white stripes.
6. Melt the jam with the remaining 2 TBSP liqueur. Using a small pastry brush or clean painters brush, glaze the tops of the berries.
7. Play a John Philips Sousa march to celebrate your accomplishment!

NOTE:
In my trial dessert, I ran out of the cream fresh mixture and finished off with whip cream in a can. I don't recommend you do as I did. The cream in a can does not have any stabilizers and it doesn't hold up. (I just used what I had in the fridge)

Enjoy!