Hello hello!
I hope everyone is doing splendidly today! Up here in the North East, Mother Nature has been in a fickle mood lately, but thankfully she blessed us with an absolutely lovely day on Saturday which facilitated our first grilling, and outdoor dinner, of the season! Thank you Mamma Nature!
My friends who have been fortunate enough to be around when I’ve made this tart, won’t let me forget it, and as blueberry season gets closer and closer, the requests become more and more frequent. I discovered this recipe over at Eat Live Run last summer and have been hooked ever since! It’s vegan and gluten-free friendly, and is soooo good that even those who shy away from healthier food options will be impressed. It tastes like a fancy pastry you picked up on the streets of Paris!
Just a couple notes before I send you off to the market. One, you can find almond meal/flour almost anywhere now, but it’s readily available at both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. At Whole Foods you can find the Bob’s Red Mill brand. Their almond meal/flour is blanched and super fine. I find that the crust is virtually indistinguishable from a shortbread when you use this brand. Trader Joe’s also has packaged almond meal, but it is un-blanched, which produces a slightly heartier, more rustic crust. Both are delicious!
Also, I prefer to use a 9.5/10″ tart pan, but have not taken note of the increased measurements to facilitate this. Next time I make this (and rest assured, this tart makes a regular appearance around here), I will update the recipe with that option. The recipe (and picture) below is a very slightly altered version of Jenna’s recipe, using a 9″ spring form pan.
The best thing about this recipe? It’s healthy! It’s basically just nuts, fruit, and a small amount of maple syrup as a sweetener.
Blueberry Almond Tart slightly adapted from Eat Live Run
Ingredients
for the crust:
2 cups almond meal
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
for the filling:
1 cup blueberry juice (available at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods)
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup maple syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds – for topping (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Spray a 9″ spring-form pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients and mix until clumpy. Pour mixture into pan and press down to evenly distribute and form crust, ensuring that there are no holes, and the crust continues evenly up the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the blueberry juice with the cornstarch and whisk well. Set aside. In a small saucepan, whisk together the other 1/2 cup of blueberry juice, 1 cup blueberries, maple syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the juice/cornstarch mixture, and keep whisking until the mixture thickens. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Once thick, add the remaining blueberries, pour into the prepared crust, and refrigerate until chilled and set – about 1-2 hours. Do not cover with plastic wrap – it will stick.
Right before serving, scatter almond slivers on top and press down very gently. Enjoy!
Useful materials and ingredients:
