For some reason, I’m on a dessert tear, as you may have noticed; maybe I’m making up for lost time…
It is spring, and for my mind, time for fruit. It’s early yet for local berries, but there are plenty of things you could put on this lovely tart; kiwi, pear, apple, citrus, your imagination is the only limit.
The crust is the only baking you need to do, so it’s a great recipe to prepare the days before an event. The combination if great flour, almonds and honey makes for a melt in your mouth delight.
For the tart,
3/4 Cup White Whole Grain Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
¼ cup Almonds
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3 Tablespoons Raw Honey or Agave Nectar
¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
2 – 4 Tablespoons Ice Water
Pulse almonds in a food processor to a coarse meal texture.
Add flour, sugar and salt and blend thoroughly.
Cut cold butter into ½” cubes, add and process until the mix is well incorporated, (Again, like a rough meal consistency).
Add water a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to clump; make sure the mix is moist to the touch.
Gather dough, flatten into a roughly 1” thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, (And up to a day).
When ready to build, preheat oven to 400° F.
Line a pan with parchment, then roll dough out to fit; you want a crust around 1/2″ thick, but a little thinner or thicker is fine, depending on your taste, (a springform or tart pan is best, but a cookie sheet will do fine in a pinch.)
Prick the tart with a fork, then cover with another piece of parchment and pie weights or beans. If you do a significant amount of baking, you need pie weights; they’re more efficient, cheap, and don’t ruin your beans…
Blind bake the crust until it is an even, light golden brown, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.
Instead of the traditional pastry cremé for the tart, we substituted fresh vanilla whipped cream for a lighter touch.
For the cream,
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Agave Nectar or Honey
1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk or blend until the cream holds a stiff peak. It’s best to wait and prep the cream immediately before serving, but you can make it up to 1/2 hour ahead and refrigerate as well.
Prep your fruit by rinsing it thoroughly. Core your strawberries. You may slice the berries if you wish.
Spread a layer of cream evenly over the tart, then arrange fruit evenly around the tart. Serve promptly.
NOTE:
If you really want to be decadent, a thin layer of our Meyer Lemon Curd would fit the bill, substituted for the whipped cream.
If you prefer an even lighter version, you can substitute a thin layer of no-added-sugar apricot preserves, (Heat 1 cup of preserves with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium low until fully melted and blended. Spread half evenly over tart and the rest drizzled over the fruit).
UrbanMonique 