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Fruit Pizza:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) (113 grams) full fat cream cheese
1/2 cup (120 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (cream with a 35-40% butterfat content)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh Fruit
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Fruit Pizza: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spary, a 12 inch (30 cm) pizza pan.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Next, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Finally, add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. (If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.) Scatter small pieces of the dough over the surface of your pan and pat to form an even layer. Then prick the dough with the tines of a fork. Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer or wire whisk) beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and beat until its of spreading consistency. Spread the frosting over the cooled sugar cookie. Top with fresh fruit. Serve immediately or cover and place in the refrigerator.
Serves 10-12 people.
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When you have guests for dinner, sometimes it can be a challenge deciding on what to serve for dessert. I find the task becomes easier once I think about the meal as a whole, and how the dessert fits in with the main course. So if the dinner is a casual affair, I make a more casual dessert. And if I'm serving a very filling main course, I offset that with a dessert that's light and refreshing. Another consideration is your guests likes, dislikes, and/or allergies. Because there is nothing worse then spending hours making say, a Coconut Cream Pie, only to find your guests don't like coconut. So, with these things in mind, this Fruit Pizza is an excellent example of a casual dessert, perfect for large get togethers, especially during the summer months when there is a huge variety of fresh fruits available at reasonable prices. It consists of a sugar cookie topped with a cream cheese filling and loads of fruit. I love how you actually bake the sugar cookie in a pizza pan, and I think it's kinda fun to cut the Fruit Pizza into slices with a pizza wheel. As with a savory pizza, eat it with your fingers or as a plated dessert. Either way is sure to please.
This Fruit Pizza is the kind of recipe you find in community cookbooks. You know, the type of recipe that you would happily share with family and friends. It has similar components to a fruit tart. And, like a fruit tart, the first thing you notice is the fruit. You can top the Fruit Pizza with one fruit or a medley of fruits. And they can be arranged in concentric circles, rows, or just piled haphazardly on top of the filling. Now, there are so many fruits to choose from but it is important that the they look and taste great. While berries, with their vibrant colors, are always popular, other fruits are nice as well. Slices of kiwi, pineapple, melon, peaches, plums, nectarines, and mango are some fruits that are very nice. If you like, you can glaze the fruit with either this Apricot Glaze or red currant jelly (for red colored fruits) to give the fruit a beautiful shine and it also prevents the fruit from drying out. This is a good idea if you're using fruit that has been sliced or if the Fruit Pizza is going to sit at room temperature for any length of time. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for later enjoyment.