Gluten Free Fruit Tart

Secrets are not really my thing. I have never been good at keeping them. I have never felt the need to be illusive. I don't really even understand how to be discreet. As soon as I am attempting to keep a secret, I will start to get all twitchy & awkward and everyone who knows me will figure out what is going on. I haven't ever been able to keep a crush hidden or consider some new venture in my life without busting at the seams and talking about it to my close friends extensively.
For the most part, I live my life fairly openly. Every recipe I enjoy, I end up blogging about. Every cookbook or restaurant ends up getting mentioned. I talk about the bakery, and what products I am working on developing. There is one thing that has remained a secret. I won't tell anyone my pastry cream recipe. I have worked on it for years now. Tweaking away slowly to get it perfect. I will give people hints and point them in the right direction, but I just don't want to divulge all the little details. It's something I have worked so hard on perfecting that I want it to remain truly mine. I'm sorry if that means you have lumpy or too sweet pastry cream, but I am happy to make you a fruit tart to share over a cup of tea. We can talk about some of my other "secrets".


After I made a few friends some gluten free pies, I realized I had never made a gluten free tart before. I know in making pear frangipane tarts I have used an almond crust before, but generally all purpose flour is added to the almond meal as well. I also didn't want the crust to taste intensely almondy, but more subtle. I decided to use my regular shortbread crust recipe with half almond meal and half brown rice flour. It tasted delicious, but was a bit too crumbly. I think on the next go I might try to add a little starch and see how that helps the consistency. Do you have a favorite gluten free pie or tart shell recipe to help me find my way?

Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts

I sort of got in the swing of things with vegan MoFo. I spent almost everyday that I had off baking numerous things to document throughout the week. With that sort of obligation gone, I am a little afraid that I will let the month slip away too quickly without blogging. I decided to remedy this by giving myself another theme for the month, something I am really passionate about, chocolate. So while there won't be 25 posts about chocolate, I am hoping to get a solid handful in. Before I know it Thanksgiving will be here and I will be knee deep in pies at the bakery and come home only to collapse into my warm bed.



Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts
makes six 4" tarts

1 batch of shortbread tart dough from Vegan Pie in the Sky
1 batch of dark chocolate orange custard from Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats*
1 cup of toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Make the tart shells. While they are cooling, make the custard. Pour into shells and allow to cool for 2 hours. Top with chopped hazelnuts and serve cooled. These also make really great parfaits. I will probably make this custard repeatedly with different flavorings and mix-ins!
* I omitted the orange from the custard and added 2 teaspoons of hazelnut extract. You don't need this, but it does add to the depth of the flavor

Pomegranate Tarts

I was thinking about pomegranates a lot last week when I was making the panna cotta. I realized that while pomegranate juice was really expensive, I had recently gotten several whole fruits for pretty cheap. I looked up a few things on juicing pomegranates, and it's actually really easy! After I separated all the arils from the rind, I threw them in my food processor, then poured that into a fine mesh strainer. After squeezing the pulp for a minute or two I looked down at the measuring cup and was pretty pleased with how much juice I was able to get from the fruit. I reserved at least a third of a cup of arils for the top of the tarts, but from the remaining fruit I was able to get 3/4 cup of juice! That's so much cheaper than buying a bottle of POM.
These tarts are pretty simple. Once you have the juice it only takes a few minutes to make the filling. If you don't wanna go through the hassle of making tart shells, you could also buy pre-folded phyllo cups. They are most often vegan and are so, so convenient!


Pomegranate Tarts
makes three 3" tarts

1/2 batch of shortbread tart dough from Vegan Pie in the Sky
3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbl cornstarch
2 tbl key lime juice
Prepare the tart dough, fill the shells, and bake them. While the shells are cooling, combine the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat until boiling. While that is heating, whisk the cornstarch into the lime juice. Slowly whisk the lime mixture into the boiling pan. Whisk continually on medium heat until the mixture has thickened to a pudding like consistency. Fill tart shells and top with additional arils if so desired.

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Tarts

A few months ago I made a giant jar of caramel sauce for an ice cream social at my house. I have been grateful to have this jar stowed away on multiple occasions. I highly recommend it. You can just make it once, only have to clean a candy thermometer once, and store it in mason jars. The glass jars are great for the caramel syrup because if it ends up firming more then you want, you can just dip the glass jar in hot water to re-melt to sticky, gooey perfection. It’s also perfect to pour a tablespoon or two over ice cream or onto a slice of cake.


Last week I used a fair portion of my remaining caramel to make a quick tart. I also happened to have a half batch of shortbread tart dough (from Vegan Pie in the Sky) in my freezer. I let it thaw, pressed it hurriedly into a three 3” tart shells and baked them while I melted a few ounces of bittersweet chocolate. As the chocolate and shells were cooling I mixed a teaspoon of salt into the caramel. I poured the caramel into still warm shells. And then without even letting it cool just a little more, I attempted to spoon the molten chocolate over them. The caramel and chocolate mixed a bit, and weren’t completely even, and spilled over the edges as I threw the tarts in the refrigerator.
It may be a little messy, but instant gratification tastes so good. These tarts are like a classy, adult version of the Twix bar. If you weren’t making these just to comfort yourself after a rough day, then you might want to let the tart shells cool completely, add the caramel, and freeze them for just a few minutes before you add the chocolate. I highly suggest using a nice bittersweet or dark chocolate to balance the sweetness of the caramel. The snap of chocolate and crispness of the shortbread tart shell also contrast the gooey center perfectly. A sprinkle of large grain kosher salt on top of the shells adds a nice visual balance. Things just can’t go wrong.

Apple Tarts

I have had apples piling up for about two weeks now. I eat a lot of apples, but somehow I still don't enough apples to keep up with fruit share deliveries from my CSA. I eat an apple almost every day, but I somehow still had a basket with 4 or 5 just hanging around when my share came last week. I knew it was time to start preserving them in some way before they spoiled. So I made a batch of homemade apple sauce.



Fresh Apple Compote
makes one large mason jar

6-7 small apples
2 tablespoons cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
roughly 1 cup water
You can use whatever apples you happen to have around. I used a mixture of red delicious, golden delicious, & granny smith. Peel & core your apples. Chop them roughly to 1/3" size pieces. Throw them in a sauce pan with 1/2cup water and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Allow the apples to simmer, covered, for roughly forty minutes. Check the apples every twenty minutes to stir and add a few more tablespoons water if the water is evaporating before the apples soften. After the apples have cooked down to a sauce, remove the pan from heat & stir in the vanilla. Mash with a wooden spoon to desired consistency. I prefer my apple compote to have a quite a few intact apple pieces.


Apple tarts look a lot more difficult than they are. You just need a batch of tart dough, some apple compote, and a few apples to slice for the top. I used 4" pans, but feel free to make a 6 or 8" tart. The apple slices are actually a lot easier to arrange in an 8" tart. I used the shortbread tart dough from Vegan Pie in the Sky. I gave more extensive directions on filling the pans when I made fruit tarts a last winter. The only difference in the baking. You don't need to blind bake these tart shells, since we want to bake the apples. Just fill the pan with dough, level it, add a thin layer of apple sauce (I used three tablespoons for a 4" tart), and arrange the apple slices. If you can make thin enough apple slices, you can fold rosettes for the center of the tart. I also sprinkled lemon sugar on top of the tart just before baking. I zested a half of a lemon into 1 cup of sugar a few months ago, and pull it out when I need a little hint of lemon in my tea or on my baked goods. You could also use vanilla sugar!


I also made a second tart from an apple I hard recently seen. Pink pearl apples are so lovely. They are a beautiful shade of pink when you cut them open, and as I was dying to know, remain pink after they are baked. The apples are similar in taste to a granny smith, so they are tart & wonderful when paired with the sweetness of a nut butter. The texture was a little mealier than I would have preferred, and the apples weren't the easiest to slice thinly. But they baked up nicely. Can you imagine serving someone a pink apple pie?! It's perfect for a tea party.


Have you ever tried a pink pearl apple? Or do you have another favorite apple? I am pretty partial to the honeycrisp myself, but I normally bake with granny smiths. I am so glad apple season is finally here. Prepare to be inundated with apple recipes. At least Rosh Hashanah is almost here, so I have an excuse right?! We are also filling the bakery shelves with apple flavored items. I just put out a few dozen apple cakes and am working on a caramel apple cookie too.

Lemon Curd Tartlets

Even though I am surrounded by sugar all day, I still crave desserts at home. This is one of those super quick recipes that I can throw together in a matter of minutes to quench that craving. My local super market had a sale on pre folded phyllo cups, and I couldn't resist. Phyllo can be such a pain to work with, so I will willingly fork over an extra dollar to have it ready to fill.
I used a lemon curd recipe from C'est La Vegan that has never failed me. I spooned it into the shells, let it cool, and topped with fresh raspberries.


They are not only quick, but super adorable, and have a great texture. The crunch of the phyllo really makes these bite sized tarts shine. If you don't want lemon curd, try lime or orange! These shells would also be great willed with chocolate pudding and maybe topped with a slice of strawberry or dollop of coconut cream.
I don't know what it is about lemon lately, but I can't get enough of it. I even had a dream about drinking a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Maybe I am craving summer? Do you have dreams about food too?

Chocolate Berry Tarts

I made these in a last minute decision on Valentine's Day. It's hard to believe that that was almost a month ago already. Time flies sometimes, even when each day feels so long. I'm starting to slip into a comfortable groove in the restaurant kitchen. I'm less panicked by the fast pace, yelling, and hot pans.
These tarts tasted pretty great. The recipe is an Isa Chandra creation, which you can find on the PPK. The berry flavor was really subtle but not overpowered by the cashews. I used a bag of frozen mixed berries that contained strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. When I blend that mixture for a smoothie it comes out to be a bright pink, but when cooked on the stove for the tarts it became a very deep purple. The color ended up being one that I didn't find super appealing for the tarts. If I were to repeat, I would probably stick to raspberries or strawberries.
The crust was a deep chocolate flavor, but I would maybe add a little more oil next time. They were a bit too crumbly for me. I also didn't use olive oil as she suggested. I know from experience that I am not a fan of the flavor of olive oil in tart crusts, but you should give it a chance if you haven't before. Also, excuse my messy tart shells. I didn't take my time filling the tart pans, so you can see some rough and uneven edges.


This is another recipe that's really easy to modify depending on your needs. If you have a gluten allergy, you could use an almond meal crust or pour the creme and berries in layers to make a parfait. If you have a nut allergy, you could skip the cashews and make a coconut milk pudding using agar or arrowroot.
I don't recommend making these tarts too far in advance. The morning after I made them the berry reduction seemed to start separating from the cashew cream, which led to some discoloration in the tarts.
I've got a few more tarts I've been thinking about making for a while. It could get wild. Do you have a favorite tart or pie?

Fruit Tarts

I don't think it's difficult to make cute treats, it just takes a little practice. I find it harder to create something elegant, that stands alone, and one desires to look at for a while before they eat it. That's what tarts are for me. Tarts are something that make me stand at bakery counter windows for far too long, just looking all the beautifully molded crusts, thick creams, and shiny decorations that I know aren't vegan. Vegan Pie in the Sky's recent release has had my daydreaming for a while now. This is a variation on the Strawberry Kiwi Crème Tart. It uses the shortbread pie crust, and the cashew crème from the recipe with additional fruits on top. My friend and I doubled the recipe, and used six 4" & three 3" tart pans with removable bottoms. If you have tart pans with removable bottoms, it makes cleanly removing the tart quite a bit easier.


The shortbread crust take a little love. Just have patience. Eventually all the butter will mix into the dough, but it might make the process a bit quicker to use a pastry cutter. We tried filling the pans in a few ways. The first technique we tried was rolling out the dough. This dough is not suitable for that, it will just rip.
What we found worked the best was making a ball of dough and firmly squishing it against the round bottom of the pan until it was smooth and thin. Then trim the excess from the bottom, and place it inside the other portion of the pan. Make a long rope of dough, and wind it inside the tart pan. Cut where needed, and firmly push the dough in. Make sure that the two doughs are sealed together, the sides are thin, and then trim the excess dough off the top of the pan.
There was not room in my freezer for all the pans, so we froze a few and refrigerated a few. We also used pie weights on a few, and no weights on most. There really wasn't much notable difference between the crusts. The crusts with pie weights had a few divets where the weights had rested during baking, but they all ended up to be a similar thickness.


Making the crème for these takes a little forethought. If you don't have a vitamix or other really powerful blender, you are going to want to soak the cashews for at least 8 hours or overnight. Because I have a vitamix, we got away with only soaking them for 2-3 hours and blending for a long while. We followed the recipe closely, only adding the seeds of two scraped vanilla beans rather than extract. I also want to note that if you don't have agar powder, you could probably get away with it in this recipe by just adding less liquid. However, in several of Vegan Pie in the Sky's recipes, the agar powder is necessary. And agar flakes are NOT interchangeable.


We used a mixture of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, and sliced almonds on the tart. After adding the fruit, we brushed on a mixture of apple jelly thinned with water. This helps seal the fruit to keep it fresher and adds a really beautiful shine. You could probably get away with a different jelly if that's all you have in your fridge, but apricot and apple will add the least amount of color to your tart. Let the tarts sit for a few hours for them to firm up. There's a little bit of a waiting game in waiting long enough for them to be firm and waiting too long, to where the fruit starts to look not as lovely. These pictures were taken the morning after making the tarts, and you can probably see that the sliced fruits aren't quite at their peak any longer.
If you wanted to make this tart gluten free, I recommend using an almond meal crust. The flavors really complement each other. We also had additional crème left over that I used to make a parfait with several layers of fruit. That could be a really elegant dessert in a glass if you don't want to mess with a crust.

Tarts can be really simple or a labor of love, but I think are worth the wait. Is there another dessert that stops you in your tracks when you see it?

*These are going to be posted at Sweets for a Saturday. There aren't many other vegan treats, but a lot of ideas for things to veganize!

Cashew Cream Pear Tarts

Hannah Kaminsky is one of my favorite bloggers & cookbook authors. My Sweet Vegan is a cookbook you should definitely consider buying. My two favorite recipes from the book are the root beer float cupcakes and this tart. I made four 4" tarts from the recipe for an annual thanksgiving night vegan dessert potluck that was hosted at my house. These are also gluten and soy free.
I soaked the cashews for a few hours before blending them to make it a little easier on the food processor. I also subbed almond milk for water and vanilla bean paste for extract. Vanilla beans make everything look better. It's fool proof! Next time I make this I will probably top it with raw berries.

I am almost done washing all the dishes and sweeping away all the crumbs of pie crust. Do you have any fun thanksgiving traditions?