Fruit and Meringue Tart

📝 Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry sheet (rolled out)
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 bosc pear
• 1 1/2 cups blackberries and raspberries
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for dusting on the baked tart (optional))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. 2Roll the puff pastry on a baking sheet. Leaving ¼ inch from the edge, lightly score the border around the entire edge with a paring knife.
3. 3Cut the pear in half, core the seed out and then, thinly slice the pear.
4. 4Spread the cream cheese on the puff pastry, inside the border. Next, layer the sliced pears. Start with half of the sliced pear on the upper left side of the tart, facing the curve side toward the edge of the pastry. Layer half of the berries next to the pear.
5. 5Follow the same process with the bottom half, facing the curve side of the sliced pear towards the edge of the pastry.
6. 6Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on the edges on the pastry sheet.
7. 7Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the puff pastry look golden brown.
8. 8Once done, switch off the oven and take the baking pan out. Let the tart cool for 10 minutes.
9. 9While the tart cools, prepare meringue. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and using an electric whisker, whisk the egg white until it’s stiff and holds shape. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and keep whisking until the mixture looks glossy and stiff.
10. 10Spoon the meringue into a piping bag or a zip lock bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the meringue on the tart in little dollops. Using a hand torch, char the meringue dollops. You could alternatively place it in the oven under the broiler. If you use the oven technique, be very cautious, as it would take barely a minute.