Rainier Cherry Tart with Maple Cream and a Gluten-Free Maple Crust

The deadline to enter our Quickies Morning, Noon, and Night Cocktail Challenge is fast approaching.  Please send in your entries by September 23, 2010.

Your challenge is to create your sexiest drink, alcoholic or non alcoholic.

The prize is the marvelous cookbook Quickies: Morning, Noon, and Night by the lovely Denise Fletcher.

Today I am happy to turn over LC to the wonderfully talented Krista from Rambling Tart.  Krista blogs about travel, photos, and food.  If you enjoy travel, she highlights some of the amazing places she has visited.  Her keen eye for photography and capturing the moment produces some of the best photography on the blogosphere.  Her writing style is candid and inviting.  Not to mention that there is always a tasty treat to feast on.  Please visit, Krista at Rambling Tart, I know you will find a marvelous new blog to follow.

Enjoy...

Welcome to Guest Post Spotlight Thursday

Hints of autumn are all around me this week. Hot sunshine burns away the morning fog revealing green grass covered with crisp, brown leaves. I may get to wear my beloved sun dresses during the day, but as soon as the sun sets I pull out sweaters and tuck quilts around me whilst I read or visit with good friends.

Although I dearly love Autumn and can't help but smile when I think of apple picking, cider pressing, and cozy nights spent in front of the fire, I confess that part of me is still clinging to the last vestiges of summer.

My cooking is a reflection of my divided heart. One moment I'm making blueberry smoothies as if I needed cooling off, and the next I'm stirring a pot of spicy curry to warm my bones.

This recipe, Rainier Cherry Tart with Maple Cream and a Gluten-Free Maple Crust, is a delectable combination of summer and autumn. Shiny Rainier cherries are sunny reminders of hot summer days, while the maple cream and crust lend that comforting richness so treasured as the days shorten. If you can't track down cherries, then plump blackberries or even sliced peaches would work just as well.

(Lazaro, thank you so much for inviting me to join you today! It's wonderful to linger on your blog with your dear readers for a day. :-) )

Rainier Cherry Tart with Maple Cream and a Gluten-Free Maple Crust

Ingredients:
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
1/4 cup blueberries
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp maple extract

For the Crust:
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.

Blend cream cheese, coconut milk, maple syrup and maple extract until smooth. Set aside but do not chill.

Mix all crust ingredients, add a little flour if too soft. Press evenly into 9-inch tart pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Let crust cool, then spread cream mixture in the bottom and top with fruit. Chill until ready to serve.

Please check out Krista's Rambling Tart for more wonderful photos and food.