Here it is the end of the month and you may have noticed, I’m trying to slip in a few “round ups”. I’m generally not a huge procrastinator and I gave myself permission not to stress about doing these because they really are for fun. Knowing we would be getting our main house ready for the summer season of vacationers, that I would have loads of friends to catch up with and would just want to have a little me time for projects, I decided I’d play it by ear. So yesterday I did make a third round of pasta for the Donna Hay photo round up at Jungle Frog and since I had friends over for dinner a couple days ago, why not make mixed berry tarts to add to Abbey Dodge’s very berry mini pie  round up. Right?

Now I’m down to the wire and still managed to be courteous to the Census Bureau Man who happened to drop in at 5pm on a Sat night. Go me.

And honestly, cooking is my “me” time, my project time. There’s nothing more fun than having a time-contstraint free day to cook, take photos and share my project with friends and loved ones. This was our dessert after the grilled salmon and goat cheese pasta. I can be pretty hard on myself when something really doesn’t hit the mark, but I’m also not afraid to give myself praise when deserved. Let me just say… these rocked.

I made six individual tarts that really served about nine people. A couple people ate whole ones and others shared. When topped with lemon buttermilk ice cream (coming up next post), it made for a pretty filling dessert.

{PRINT RECIPE} for Mixed Berry Tarts

First off, were the crusts. It was my basic crust with an egg yolk and the addition of ground hazelnut and a little powdered sugar. No re-inventing the wheel here. I made the dough. Chilled it a good hour then flattened out small circles and really used my hands to mold it into the tart tins. They are happy to then spend a few more minutes in the fridge or freezer. In my experience, it doesn’t have quite the elasticity as a regular crust.

The filling was simply 6 generous cups of frozen mixed berries, 2 T cornstarch mixed into 1 cup sugar, a squeeze of lemon… and that’s it. I filled the tarts up pretty high, cutting some of the bigger chunks of frozen strawberries. I topped it with a crisp based from the JOY OF COOKING. Flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, hazelnuts and a pinch of salt… and I did add a handful of shredded coconut which gave it a little oomph. I could make that topping blindfolded. Try not to nibble too much!

I made about an extra cup of the crisp, as I’ve suggested in the past, to throw in the fridge for last minute desserts. In summer, with all the fresh fruit, it’s such a quick go to for a last minute dinner or potluck. We still have a lot of potlucks on Orcas 🙂

These sweet tarts were baked at 400°F for about 20 minutes, then I turned the heat down to 375°F so the crisp doesn’t get too brown, for another 20-30 min. They bubble with red juicy pride when they are ready. Can I also suggest you make them AHEAD OF TIME. Then all that runny sweetness solidifies and it’s not so frightening to think you didn’t put enough thickener in the fruit.

We gobbled these guys UP topped with a rich homemade lemon buttermilk ice cream.

If this doesn’t put you in the mood for summer and 4th of July… well then you are one emotionally challenged dude and need to seek help! And fear not….I do believe this could be adapted to gluten free. Just up the hazelnut in the crust and adjust the butter. Would love to hear from someone with a gluten free nut crust. Many of our friends are eating gluten free and I’m always up for it.

So happy holidays and you will see that lemon buttermilk ice cream in the blink of an eye. ok…. maybe not that quick. Two posts in one day is way above my attention span!

Tschüß,