Fresh Summer Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart

9:01 PM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

Wild Blackberry and Passion Fruit Tart

It's summer. Bike riding and berry picking season is open!

Hey, it's my new bike! I just love it. Totally worth the wait.

The bf has been trying to get me to get a bike for ages but I have never come across the "perfect" bike. To me, bikes are like a wedding dress...you just know when you have found the perfect one. That happened to me, finally after years of searching and stopping at bike shop after bike shop, at the end of this Spring. Just in time for some summer rides! Over the Independence Day weekend a friend came to stay with us and we went on a 20 mile ride along the San Francisco Bay. It was glorious. With my illness I had to take some medication but not too much so I felt even better knowing that I must be getting better.

Secret blackberry spot. Shhhh

I brought along a backpack with some empty plastic containers in the hopes that we came across some blackberries. It is just the start of the blackberry season so there are a few but not many out there for the picking. As luck would have it, there were some bushes along the trail that had not been picked clean! We had to do a little hiking through pokey weeds to get there but it was worth it. I got about 2 pounds of berries which is very good since it is only the start of the blackberry season.

To get the sweetest, most ripe fruit, only pick the ones that come off the stem easily. Leave any that have red on them. Look for the fattest, blackest and plumpest (is that a word?) berries.

I decided to make a tart so I could show off the fresh blackberry sweetness and flavor without weighing it down with too many other ingredients. We are also trying to keep healthy and fit so that might help a little to have a lighter crust.

The berries after being rinsed and dried.

As far as the crust goes, I had almond flour sitting around so I thought I could use that up but I didn't have enough to make a whole tart crust consequently, I added some ground graham crackers to help bolster it.

A little almond flour and a little graham cracker.

After mixing the crust ingredients I dumped them into a tart pan and began spreading it with my fingers.

Pressing the crust up the sides of the pan.

When doing this, make sure you are keeping the crust relatively even in thickness. I usually end up with thick corners which is fine so long as you get it evenly up the sides as well. I love a big bite of crust here and there anyways.

Any passion fruit juice will do. This was a blend.

While the crust is baking you can start the filling. The juice can be any kind, really. The bf happens to be a big passion fruit fan so I used that but I bet a cherry juice would be awesome too.

The color of these while they cook is ahhmazing.

Once you have the berries cooking with the honey, lemon and juice you should start to smell that toasty crust. That means it is time to take the crust out! The corn starch and juice mixture, once added to the pot, will do a nice job of thickening the berry slurry so it coatsspoon.

The sauce is thickened and the crust is toasted perfectly. It smells so good in here!

Once you have the crust and filling ready, place the remaining berries berries spread evenly in the crust. Pour the warm berries over the crust, filling it completely.

Ready to be chilled.

Once the tart is chilled, remove the tart ring and place on your favorite serving dish.

Chilled and ready to eat!!

You can serve this alone, with a sprig of mint, or with some vanilla ice cream!

Yum! I can't wait to do it again next year!

RECIPE:

For the crust:

1.5 cups almond flour
.5 cups graham crackers ground to a flour (about 4 whole crackers)
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp butter, melted

For the filling:

1 cup passion fruit juice (I use welch's that is actually mostly grape juice) You can substitute the passion fruit juice with grape juice, blackberry juice or blueberry juice.
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 cups fresh, ripe blackberries
1/3 cup honey
1 lemon, juiced

Directions:

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F. Have a tart pan with removable bottom ready

In a medium bowl combine the crust ingredients until fully blended and crumbly. Then dump into the tart pan. Spread it evenly, pressing it firmly to the sides and base. To push it up the sides, use your thumb and finger and pinch it to make about a 1/4 inch thick side.

Bake crust for about 15 minutes until it is toasted and smell fragrant. Check after 10 minutes.

Remove crust from oven and set aside to let cool.

Put 1/2 of the juice in a small bowl and blend with the corn starch. Set aside.

In a small sauce pot, combine the rest of the juice, half of the berries, the honey, and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the cornstarch-juice mixture and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. It should be the consistency of thin jam at this point.

Spread the remaining whole blackberries evenly in the cooled tart shell. Pour the heated mixture over the berries and spread evenly in the tart shell.

Chill for three hours or overnight. Slice and serve!