Blueberry Tart

I have this lovely friend. Her name is Emily, and we've known each other since we were six. Now, Em has many, many talents - so many I surely couldn't name them all - but cooking is really not one of them. To her immense credit, though, she's been working on it. She even made muffins from scratch all by herself the other day. I was so proud! :)

Anyway, she was hanging out with me the other day, and so I decided we'd kill two birds with one stone: she could learn how to make a tart, and I would get an assistant. Sounds perfect!

What's really perfect, though, is this tart. It's like a blueberry pie, with all of the goodness of a pie but the elegance of a tart. And it has a secret, too - a few pieces of sweet peach hiding in all those gorgeous blueberries. Along with some ice cream, it makes the perfect cozy summer dessert.

Almond Peach Tart with Whole Wheat Crust

Did you know that almonds and peaches are closely related? It's true! So it's no wonder that they taste so good together. A match made with science!

This almond peach tart is a delicious way to appreciate the season's freshest peaches, which you can find everywhere from farmer's markets to grocery stores this time of year. I've made the recipe a few times already this year, and each time I've gotten rave reviews. It never lasts more than a day!

Tomato Tart

Didn't I tell you that I was going to make more tarts this summer? What can I say, I love my new tart pan! After making a sweet and creamy dessert tart, it was time to try something a little more savory. This tomato tart fit the bill and made for a delicious dinner. We had it with steak salad, but it's definitely hearty enough to stand on its own, too.

Tomatoes, to me, are synonymous with summer. Those wan, insipid hothouse tomatoes you can buy at the grocery in the winter aren't even worthy of the name. No, I want a huge, juicy, homegrown tomato, bursting with flavor. I absolutely stuff myself with them while they're in season, and have found lots of ways to prepare them inventively. But using them in a tart was new to me, so of course I had to try it.