Apple, Blackberry and Cheese Torte

So, this is the season of apples and blackberries and the two placed together create the most wonderful marriage of flavours. It's classic.

The hedgerows that surround our cottage are just drooping with blackberries, likewise the apple trees are full of apples that are being picked daily. We are lucky that we can help ourselves to the drops. Back home they would have used the drops to make apple juice . . .



The air rings with the sound of Polish as that is where most of the pickers come from and is filled with the smell of fermenting apples . . . there are tons laying beneath the trees, far too many to use and a lot are decaying now, hence the smell. Back home the deer would be snuffling them up.



Apples and cheese are a pretty formidable combination as well. My mom always served up her homemade apple pies with a tasty slab of cheddar on the side. What happens when you combine the lovely flavours of apples, blackberries and cheese??? Why . . .

You get a fabulously tasty autumnal torte!! You can use Raspberry preserves if you can't get the blackberry. Apricot goes very well also.



Who wouldn't love a sweet cake-like crust, spread with jam and encasing a delicious cheesecake filling topped with sweetly spiced and sliced apples . . .

It's pretty hard to resist!



*Apple and Cheese Torte*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

This so good and is delicious warm or cold. It's a great brunch item as well as a fabulous coffee break treat, not to mention dessert!
Base:4 ounces butter, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup of blackberry jam
Filling:
1 - 250g package of cream cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
Topping:
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon



Pre-heat the oven to 230*C/450*F. Cream the butter and sugar for the base together thoroughly. Blend in the flour. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8 1/2 inch wide spring form pan.

Warm the blackberry jam a bit and then spread it over the base of the tart.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla paste together until smooth and fluffy. Spoon this over top of the jam in the crust.

Toss the apples, sugar and cinnamon for the topping together and arrange on top of the cream cheese mixture.Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F. and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set and the apples are tender.

Cool slightly before removing the pan rim. Serve warm or cold.