Allô, Doristas!  John & I just returned from a wonderful trip to France!  We took a riverboat cruise from Paris to Normandy, and back, then spent 3 days in Paris walking, eating, and visiting historic places.  We had perfect weather the whole time with rain only beginning to fall as we drove to the airport.  One day, as we wandered through le Marais, we discovered the wonderful Jewish quarter with so many bakeries and cafes.  We were drawn into a particular one by the amazing scent of fresh baking.  We enjoyed our pastries, and John, his cafe au lait in the beautiful morning sunshine.  Paris was alight with flowers blooming and birds singing.  It was just lovely.  Unfortunately, Dorie and Michael weren’t in Paris while we were there.
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for a Cheesecake Tart. Â Its lightly sweet, creamy filling is nestled in a perfect shortbread crust. Â Dorie’s recipe includes dried fruit in the filling but I love tarts with fresh fruit, so we left it out and served ours with fresh blackberries macerated in Licor 43 and just a touch of sugar. Â With just a hint of lemon and vanilla, it’s a perfect base for all kinds of fresh fruit. Â We think this tart would be a lovely finish to a meal served in the garden.
With only two recipes to go, as the Doristas are racing to the finish line, we’re all reflecting on our experiences over the past 4 1/2 years.  This sweet pastry tart crust is reliable, and bakes up perfectly every time.  It is a recipe I will continue to turn to again, and again.
Welcome home, Susan! Sounds like you had a terrific vacation! Your tart looks gorgeous, and I love your idea of using fresh berries macerated in Licor 43. I have a bottle just waiting to be used…and macerated berries or fruit sounds perfect!
First, your tart looks so wonderful. Secondly, I can’t wait to see all the photos, Such a
wonderful trip, Tricia and I had planned the same trip a few years ago, but had to cancel.
I am so happy that you and John enjoyed it all. Have a great weekend.
Sounds like a great trip. Last time we were in Paris, we stayed on Ile St Louis and spent a lot of time wandering through Le Marais. It seemed like a quiet corner of the city and we loved it. I love your idea of topping this with fresh fruit instead of adding dried. I’ll have to try macerating berries in Licor 43. Someone gave me a bottle and I’ve never opened it because I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
We love staying in the Marais… and having daily visits to the Bertillon ice cream parlor in the Place des Vosges. The tart looks lovely – definitely want to try it. Hard to believe FFWD is almost over. How will you fill your time? 🙂
I’m so glad you had a wonderful vacation! And I love your heart-shaped tart – so pretty. How fitting that this week’s recipe is such a French dessert, to remind you of your Parisian adventures.
Susan, your trip with John sounds like perfection! And your tart looks perfect too! I love the heart shape. Served with macerated berries is a great idea!
Ah, Paris in the spring time. Sounds like a lovely trip. I’ve yet to make it to Normandy. One of these days…
Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Paris. I love your heart shaped tart pan. We enjoyed this one but I liked it better the second day cold. Have a great week.