The Culinary Works

Fruit tarts are something most people love? Typically when we think of fruit tarts what comes to mind is pastry cream covered in raw fresh fruit with glaze, nothing wrong with that. I happen to be a big fan of the pastry cream. Baked fruit tarts are a far simpler treat and while we have all this beautiful seasonal fruit available, I have the perfect trick to take your tart from lovely to AMAZING!

One of the challenges with baked fruit tarts and pies is the juice. Lets consider a simple blueberry tart. The juicy seasonal fruit can soak the crust during the baking process. I learned this simple trick from a french pastry chef I worked for many years ago which I use all the time. It ’s so simple and frankly makes me look genius, which doesn’t hurt a thing!

Make and form your crust as you normally would. Before you put the fruit in, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of almond flour in the bottom and spread it out evenly. Honestly, I grab two handfuls. I don ’t even measure. I can’t believe I just said that. Then pile on your fruit, blueberries, peaches, whatever. The almond flour in the bottom will soak up the juice from the fruit and become an almond fruit filling. You can sprinkle on a bit of sugar if the fruit isn’t super sweet. It takes a simple fruit tart up a few notches with the un-expected addition of almond. YUM!

I buy almond flour in small ¼ pound bags in my regular grocery store where the other flours are found.

It’s an amazing trick considered a ‘country peasant’ technique….but trust me, for something so simple, you will be amazed at the end result!