She was the boss, so we'd have eaten, and praised, whatever she brought. To our great delight, she brought Fruit Pizza. I can still taste my first bite. Since then I"ve made it several times and have never had so much as a sugar-cookie crumb leftover.
Fruit Pizza is the quintessential summer dessert, because it's beauty and texture is limited only by your imagination! Experiment with the fruit, but stick to the main recipe. The preserves are crucial to both taste and presentation.
This dessert does not keep well...but this won't be a problem.
What's in it:
1 18-oz pkg. of refrigerated sugar cookie dough, room temperature (Save your money. For this application, the store brand works just as well.)
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature(Store brand, again)
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract(Avoid imitations)
Choose several of the following, or experiment! Fresh blueberries, bananas(sliced), mandarin orange sections, seedless grapes(halved), strawberries(halved), kiwi(peeled, and sliced thin), blackberries, peaches(sliced), apricots(sliced). I don't recommend apples, lemons, or limes...
1/2 c. orange, peach, or apricot preserves(I usually use apricot, but orange rind does add something)
1 tbl. water
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Press cookie dough onto ungreased 14-inch pizza pan, covering completely and evenly. Bake 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.
While the crust is baking, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl. Spread over cooled crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer in a over-lapping circular pattern.
In a small saucepan over very low heat, make a glaze by heating preserves with water. Pour glaze, evenly, over fruit, taking care to cover fruit that could turn dark(think peaches and bananas!) Refrigerate for one hour before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings, depending on the size of the slice.
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