Blueberries are at their summery best in lemony cheese tart

Blueberries may be described approvingly as nutrient-dense, and low-calorie, but most of us are just pleased that at the peak of their season they taste so juicily good.

Fresh fruit can be a no-work dessert eaten as is, sprinkled with sugar, drizzled with cream. Yet it takes only a little more work to turn the fruit into a seemingly dressed-up dessert -- as in this blueberry cheese tart flavored with lemon curd.

You can buy the pie crust ready made, and the lemon curd, too. But the creamy curd, a smooth, thick sauce sold in the jams and jellies sections of supermarkets, is simplicity itself to make and the homemade version has a taste as fresh as the berries.

Lemony Blueberry Cheese Tart

(Preparation 10 minutes, baking and cooling 20 minutes, chilling time 2 hours)

9-inch frozen pie crust, thawed

8-ounce container (1 cup) mascarpone cheese, or 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons lemon curd (recipe follows)

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Press the pie crust into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, or leave in the original aluminum pie tin. With the tines of a fork, pierce the bottom and sides. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes; refrigerate until cool, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together cheese and 3 tablespoons of the lemon curd until smooth. (If mixture is too thick to spread, stir in a small amount of milk.) Spread mixture in the bottom of the cooled tart shell.

In a medium-size bowl, gently stir the blueberries and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon curd until thoroughly combined. Spoon the blueberries evenly over the mascarpone layer. Cover and chill 2 hours. To serve, remove the sides of the tart pan, if used; cut into wedges.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 290 cal., 2.8 g pro., 19.8 g fat, 26 g carbo., 122 mg sodium, 28.4 mg chol.

Lemon Curd

(Adapted from a recipe by Maida Heatter)

3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut in pieces

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (yellow part only)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

In the top of a large double boiler, lightly whisk eggs, yolk and sugar; stir in the butter, lemon peel and juice. Place pan over simmering water over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about 20 minutes. Strain and cool. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers for another use.

Makes 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups.

(Blueberry recipe created for AP by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council)