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These delicious Graham Cracker Tarts, filled with a rich cream and garnished
with fresh fruit, are so
elegant. I always find that individual tarts are a
dessert that everyone welcomes, although I know that making them can be a little time
consuming. One way to reduce the work is to use this simple graham cracker crumb
crust, as it is the easiest crust to make yet still packed with loads of flavor.
Graham Crackers are a flat, rectangular-shaped, slightly sweet whole wheat
cookie (cracker) that are named after their creator, Rev. Sylvester Graham
(1794 - 1851), a United States dietary reformer. Rev. Graham advocated
vegetarianism and, in fact, American vegetarianism was called 'Grahamism'
in the mid 19th century. He felt it was very important to eat flour that
was made from the whole unrefined grain, including the bran. Although
graham crackers were once touted as a health food, today they are a
favorite snack of children and are the main ingredient in making this
graham cracker crust. Graham crackers are sold both as crackers and as
crumbs. To make this crust, all you need to do is open
a box of graham cracker crumbs and combine it with a little sugar and melted
butter. This mixture is then pressed into individual tart pans and left to chill
while you make the decadent filling of cream
cheese, melted white chocolate,
and sour cream. If you are proficient with a pastry bag you can pipe the
cream into the chilled shells. Otherwise, simply spread the cream into the
shells, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon. The finishing touch
is to garnish each tart with whatever fresh fruit is in season. What makes
these so delightful is that you can garnish each tart with different fruit,
taking into account your guests likes and dislikes. Just be sure to place the
fresh fruit on top of the tarts just before serving so the fruit does not
soften and bleed
into the cream.
Note: Crushed Digestive (whole meal) biscuits (cookies)
can be used in place of the
graham cracker crumbs.
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