My little chef picked a lemon from one of our trees and added the lemon juice before the tart went into the oven.
The Blackberry Tart ready to go into the oven!
Warm and ready to be eaten!!!
Our weekly trips to the farmer’s markets in Santa Barbara led us to some deliciously sweet blackberries and raspberries. It was tough to make it home without eating them all in the car on Tuesday. So, on Saturday, my daughter and I made sure to buy extra so that we could bake with them too. Saturday night, after making pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes from the market, we baked our favorite tart with the blackberries. In spite of the addition of a little extra flour by my daughter (oops…), it turned out to be one of our best yet! You can make this recipe with any seasonal fruit. I use whole-wheat flour because it makes it “healthier” and I like the texture better. It is simple, easy and always tasty. It is my go-to recipe for dinner parties, housewarming gifts and afternoons that need a little something sweet. Enjoy.
Seasonal Fruit Tart
(adapted from a recipe originally in the New York Times)
Ingredients:
1-cup sugar
½ cup sweet butter
1 cup whole wheat flour, sifted
1-teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
2 eggs
1 carton of fresh blackberries (you can use any seasonal fruit as a substitute)
Topping: sugar, lemon juice & cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream sugar and butter. (N.B.: I melt the butter on the lowest temperature possible in a sauté pan before mixing with sugar.). Mix in flour, baking powder, sea salt and eggs and beat well.
- Place batter into 9-inch spring form pan (I often use an 11 inch pan as well. It just makes it a bit thinner and it bakes faster.). Place fruit all over the top of the batter. (You do not need to push fruit into the batter. The fruit will sink down during the baking. If you are using a fruit with skin, place the fruit skin side up on top of the batter.)
- Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice. Sprinkle one teaspoon of cinnamon over the top of the batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (if you use a larger pan, the cooking time will be significantly less. I usually check on the tart after 30 minutes. You want it to brown nicely and be cooked all the way through–test with a toothpick). Eat warm, add ice cream if you are feeling really decadent and definitely re-eat the next morning with a hot cup of coffee!
