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.

Whole Wheat Tart Shell

Whole Wheat Tart Shell
Adapted from "Baking" ed. Carole Clements


3/4 c. white flour and 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. salt
7 T. cold butter, cut into chunks
1 egg yolk
2-3 T. ice water

Sift together flour and salt; cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Add egg yolk and 2 T water. Gather into a ball; if necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of water. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. When chilled, roll out on waxed paper and transfer to a 10" tart pan. Trim the edges, prick the bottom with a fork, and refrigerate until needed.

Bake as directed in your recipe. If blind baking, bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

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.

Peachberry Tart

I have been absolutely dying to use my new tart pan for almost a month now, and yesterday I finally found an opportunity. It's a non-stick, removable bottom, lifetime warranty pan from Wilton, and if you don't have any of their spectacular products I suggest you get some, because they're wonderful. I'm planning to make tons of tarts over the next few weeks - sweet tarts, savory tarts, every tart I can think of!

We had a bowl of freshly-picked blackberries sitting in the fridge, and a flat of peaches, and they just screamed "make us into a delicious summer tart!" Well, when the fruit starts talking to you, I reckon you'd better listen to it! I decided to modify and combine several recipes into one, and the result, I must say, was scrumptious, and a perfect end to a summer meal.