Spring Fever the Martha Stewert Way!

Well Spring is here and I haven't blogged on my food blog in a while...must be something about having a 2 month old baby in the house. :) Anyways today is Jack's 2 month birthday and I wanted to make something new on each month of his first year. We have been watching a lot of The Martha Stewert Show because it's on during feeding time in the morning - I also DVR it if I am unable to watch it. Her Spring Fever show was wonderful because I have Spring Fever. The weather is warming up and I absolutely LOVE this time of year. I decided to take on a Martha dessert and the results were WONDERFUL! I was so proud of myself! I had to purchase two more kitchen items that I didn't have - a lemon zester and a tart pan. Tip: Buy a tart pan with removable bottom according to Chef Thomas Joseph.
 ** I made a Lemon Fruit Cheesecake Tart because Passion Fruit hasn't hit our stores yet. DELICIOUS!

Passion Fruit Cheesecake Tart

Yield Makes one 9-inch tart

Add to Shopping List

Ingredients

• For the Crust

  • 9 graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• For the Cheesecake Layer

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg

• For the Passion Fruit Layer

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup passion fruit puree
  • Pinch of salt
  • Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely ground; add sugar and continue pulsing until finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture comes together.
3. Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Transfer to oven and bake until crust is lightly golden and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Make the cheesecake: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together cream cheese, sugar, and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add egg and whisk to combine. Pour into cooled tart shell and transfer to oven; bake until just set, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
5. Make the passion fruit layer: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, passion fruit puree, and salt; pour over cooled cheesecake layer. Transfer to oven and bake until set but center still has a slight jiggle, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
6. Transfer tart to refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving and up to overnight; slice tart and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Cook's Note

1/2 cup lemon or lime juice plus 1 tablespoon lemon or lime zest may be substituted for the passion fruit puree.