Apricot & Plumcot Goat Cheese Tart
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Lauren Schulte. To see more of her bites and meals, visit her Instagram @TheBiteSizePantry.
Have you ever hear of a plumcot? Before perusing through the fresh stone fruit selection in Heinen’s Produce Department, I never had, but now that I’ve tasted one, I am constantly looking for ways to incorporate plumcots into my cooking.
One of my plumcot cooking experiments resulted in this Apricot Plumcot Goat Cheese Tart. The brown sugar crust comes together in minutes and makes the perfect base for the smooth and airy filling made from a blend of whipped goat cheese, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Grand Marnier (or orange juice and zest if you don’t have that on hand) and honey. Finish with ripe, juicy stone fruit and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and you’re bound to impress your guests and yourself!
Apricot & Plumcot Goat Cheese Tart
Ingredients
For Brown Sugar Shell
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
For Whipped Goat Cheese Filling:
- 1 cup goat cheese, at room temp
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temp
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt, at room temp
- 1/3 cup honey, plus more to drizzle
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier (sub for juice and zest of 1/2 orange)
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 plumcots, sliced
- 6 apricots, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together the salt and flour in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a few times. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Mix until the ingredients have just come together and the dough is still crumbly.
- Evenly spread the dough in the bottom of the greased pan then lightly press into place so it covers the bottom and some of the sides of the pan. Gently prick the dough with a fork.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the dough puffs up a bit and turns a light golden brown. Allow the crust to cool before adding the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attached, whip the goat cheese and cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add the Greek yogurt, honey, vanilla and Grand Marnier (if subbing the Grand Marnier – add the orange juice and zest). Whip together until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to allow the filling to set.
- Once the filling is set and doesn’t jiggle, top with sliced plumcots and apricots.
- Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve and finish with a drizzle of honey and freshly-snipped thyme.
