Summer Fruit Tort

This is my favorite!!! I make it like once a year (for Jeff's Birthday) It's not hard just time consuming. I don't have a pastry bag so I just use a plastic baggie and cut a corner. If you ever make it be sure to bring me a piece!!!

Cream puff dough:

2/3 c. water

1/3 c. margarine (Use stick margarine, not smooth tub margarine)

2/3 c. flour

3 eggs

In a medium saucepan bring water and margarine to a boil, stirring to melt the butter. Add flour all at once. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. After the dough has cooled 15 minutes, add each egg separately to the dough, stirring it in by hand. Don’t add the next egg until the prior egg has been stirred into the dough well. It takes some muscle and patience especially, with the last egg.

Crust:

2/3 c. flour

1 Tb. sugar

¼ c. margarine (stick kind)

Combine flour and sugar. Cut in the margarine. Then mix with hands until flour, sugar and margarine are well-combined and crumbly. Firmly press crumbs into an 8-inch circle on an ungreased cookie sheet; set aside. (Mixture will be slightly dry and crumbly).

Take the cream puff dough and drop about ¼ of the dough gently on the 8 inch crust. Gently spread the dough over the crust, forming a 5 inch circle. There will be a 1 ½ inch border of crust exposed. Using a large fluted tip and an icing or pastry bag, pipe remaining dough in “S” curves around the outside edge of the 5 inch circle, leaving a 2 to 2 ½ inch circle in the center.

Dough will puff and spread as it bakes. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400˚ for 15 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350˚ and continue baking for another 35 to 40 minutes more. Cool on baking sheet.

Filling:

One large package (6 oz.) of Jello vanilla pudding (NOT the non-sugar kind)

1 ½ c. milk

½ c. whipped cream

assorted washed berries, drained well—sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions, except reduce the milk called for to 1 ½ c. Beat your whipping cream in a separate bowl. Add a ½ c. of the whipped cream to the pudding after it has set. Put the pudding/whip cream mixture in the center of the cooled tort and arrange fruit on top. Enjoy!