Cheddar Fruit Tart with Fresh Blackberry Sauce

Here's something you may not know about me: I love cheese. And not the way most people love cheese; happy to see it make an appearance in a grilled cheese or gracing the top of their pizza or burger, no, I really love cheese. Similar to the love affair that some people have with chocolate, I bear those same feelings towards cheese and at any given point in time, I have at minimum of 6-9 cheeses in my very tiny fridge at the ready. My boyfriend has even gotten into the habit of showering me with various varieties of gourmet cheeses. Who needs to be wooed with a bouquet of flowers? Not this girl. Gimme the cheese...

Not too long ago, Cabot challenged me to create a dessert using their famous cheddar cheese. Never the type to turn down a challenge, especially one involving cheese, I happily accepted and then got to thinking. Why are there not more desserts involving cheddar cheese? There's the classic hot apple pie with a nice slab of cheddar gently melting on top, but aside from that, there hasn't been many advances on the cheddar-dessert front.

With that in mind, please allow me to present to you the Cheddar Fruit Tart with Fresh Blackberry Sauce - slivers of Granny Smith apples, red pears and sharp cheddar cheese showered with cinnamon and sugar and then dressed with a fresh blackberry sauce and crunchy almonds, all sitting on top of a flaky and buttery bed of puff pastry - it's a classic reinvented with a summery twist. What's so great about this dish is how the cheddar adds an added depth of richness and the apples, pears and nuts provide a welcome crunch while the blackberry sauce gives this dessert a sweet and tangy finish. Best served when it's hot from the oven or at a comfortable room temperature, this is the perfect ending to a great meal for the cheese lover in all of us.

Cheddar Fruit Tart with Fresh Blackberry Sauce


- 1 8 oz block Cabot Smooth Sharp Cheese, shredded
- 1 sheet frozen Puff Pastry
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into thin slices
- 1 red pear, cored and cut into thin slices
- Enough cinnamon and sugar to provide a light dusting
- Egg wash (1 egg mixed with a splash of water)
- Raspberry sauce (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup almonds

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature until you can roll it out into an even rectangle. Top with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese and then arrange the apple and pear slices on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and then top with remaining cheese. Brush egg wash onto the crust. Bake at 425 until the crust starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle with 3/4 of the fresh blackberry sauce and almonds. Bake for an additional 5 minutes and serve either warm or at room temperature with remaining blackberry sauce.

For the Blackberry Sauce
- 1 pint fresh blackberries
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp corn starch
- A pinch of salt

In a small saucepan set to medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch and blackberries. Mix in the zest, lemon juice and salt. Simmer until the mixture gets very soft. If it thickens up too much, add a splash of water. Once the mixture gets very liquidy, run through a strainer. Discard of seeds and set the sauce aside to cool until ready for use.