Blueberries are not only healthy but delicious. I try to eat them everyday for an immune boost. According to Dr. William Li in his book Eat to Beat Disease (230), researchers at LSU conducted a randomized controlled trial of people in their late 50s giving some participants a placebo and others a blueberry powder. The people who had the real blueberries experienced an 88 per cent increase in immune cells in their blood. The ones who had the placebo had no change in their immune cell function. The blueberry eaters also experienced a dip in their inflammatory markers. Amazing--the power of food on health!
Back to blueberry tarts! This is a simple tart that lets the fruit do the talking. Please note, I would make the crust in advance since it needs to be refrigerated before rolling and placed in the freezer for at least 20 minutes after it is in the tart pan (you could skip some refrigeration if you are in a hurry, but I think it taste better if you don't). I actually have a crust in a tart pan in my freezer waiting to be filled and baked. Yum! I'm thinking apples next!
Makes a 9 or 10 inch tart
Ingredients:
Crust
(for gluten free crust option scroll down)
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup cashew butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2-3 tbsp lite coconut milk (or other high fat plant milk)
Optional seasonings for the crust: touch of lemon rind, hint of nutmeg and/or cinnamon (I recommend a hint of nutmeg!)
Filling
6 cups fresh blueberries (divided)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp flour (I used spelt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon rind
Instructions:
To make the crust mix all dry ingredients together (flour, chia, salt, soda, vanilla powder and any other optional seasonings) then add the cashew butter and maple syrup.
Stir briefly, then use your fingers to mix the cashew butter mixture into the dry ingredients until it is well incorporated, like pea crumbles. (This will take a couple of minutes.)
Add 2 tbsp lite coconut milk and stir to form a ball. If it looks like the mixture is too dry to form into a ball, add the third tbsp of coconut milk.
Once you have made a ball, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the pie crust out between two pieces of wax paper.
Place the dough in a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. You may need to gently press the dough into place if it breaks apart. Make sure the dough around the rim is thick enough so that it won't easily break when you remove the crust from the tart pan.
Optional but recommended: Put the crust in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before filling and baking.
To pre-bake or not to pre-bake? I have tried this pie both ways, pre-baking the crust for 10 minutes before filling and not pre-baking the crust before filling, and I could not tell the difference. I will let you be the judge!
To make the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Using a fork or potato masher, mash 3 cups of the blueberries (don't puree them in a blender, we don't want them to be like a smoothie) in a bowl and then mix in the syrup, flour, spices, lemon, and salt.
Spread the filling in the bottom of the crust and then top with the remaining blueberries in one layer (you may have extra blueberries). Optional: You can save some blueberries to put on top after the pie is baked.
Bake for 40-50 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and remove pie from pan when ready to serve. (Freeze any leftovers.)
Variation: You can follow the same method using peaches/stone fruit instead of blueberries, mashing 3-4 cups of peaches and saving 2-3 cups to lay in a concentric circle design on top. I would add 1/2-1 tsp almond extract to the mashed mixture in addition to the vanilla and other ingredients and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
Gluten Free Crust Option:
This is a delicious tart crust made from pecans and oat flour. For the blueberry tart I prefer the crust above, but if you are gluten free, this is an excellent choice as well. I will fill this crust soon and replace the photo-- I ate the other tarts before I could get photos!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans (toasting optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1/4 tsp baking soda
4-5 Medjol dates, depending on how sweet you want it
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp lite coconut milk in a can
Optional Seasonings: choose ones that would marry well with your filling--lemon rind, dash of nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Place rolled oats, pecans, salt, ground chia seeds, and baking soda in a food processor (I used a Cuisinart) and grind to a flour.
Add the dates and blend again until they are chopped and mixed in. (Don't leave them too chunky.)
Add 2 tbsp lite coconut milk and process, adding one more tablespoon at a time as necessary until dough starts to form a ball.
When the dough starts to form a ball, take it out of processor and pat into a ball.
Roll dough between two pieces of parchment paper and place in pie tin(s). It will probably break apart, but that's ok, just gently press it into the pie tin(s).
Fill and bake according to recipe or pre bake the crust for 10 minutes before filling and baking.
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