(Paleo) Almond-Berry Tartlets

September 12, 2014

(Paleo) Almond-Berry Tartlets

As much as I love fall, I'm not ready to let summer go yet.
I've been noticing some leaves changing in the park, but I'm trying to ignore them and pretend I don't see them.
I think I’ve said “I can’t believe it’s September already” a million times over the last couple of days.
I’ve even cracked the joke “Wake me up when September ends” a dozen times or more, and it just isn’t funny anymore.
The dark evenings are approaching with dread but I’m not ready to go into hibernation mode.
People, what happened to sitting out in the bright until 9pm?


On top of that, I’ve been caught without a jacket on more than one occasion. But wearing a coat out seems just wrong so soon after summer.
Not to mention that I just can’t think about unleashing the winter clothes boxes from under the bed, and put away the shorts and the flip-flops.
Nope, can’t do.
I can’t let summer go.
I still want to jump off the dock into the water, laugh over the silly stuff, bobbing out at the end of the dock, toes pointed to the sky.


I want to spend my afternoons picking blueberries and raspberries.
Come home and bake some delicious almond-berry tartlets with my posse (nieces + nephew) and let the mess happen. Because there’s no way to contain the disaster zone and honestly I don’t want to.
Baking with the kids is fun because it’s messy, and there’s no other way to do it.


Don’t let the look of these tartlets deter you, they’re actually so easy to make, the kids can definitely help.
The crust is made in the food processor in 3 minutes and you can have your kids press the dough into the molds (just make sure they wash their hands before!)
The custard just needs a bit of whisking.
And when it’s time to assemble the tartlets, give the berries to the kids and let their creativity run wild.


We made the tartlets, admired them, took a couple of pictures, ate them all day, and then served them up again later that evening to the adults.
I didn’t tell anyone that the tartlets were paleo friendly, grain and dairy-free, everyone was focusing on how crazy good these were.
A perfect summer night, all was right with the world.


(Paleo) Almond Berry Tartlets                                                                                    Print this recipe!
Adapted from Against All Grains

Ingredients
Makes 8 tartlets (depending on the size of your molds)

Crust

¾ cup / 3.3 oz / 95 gr pecans
1 ½ cups / 5.3 oz / 150 gr almond flour (I used Wellbee’s)
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of nutmeg
3 tablespoons cold coconut oil (or butter)
2 tablespoons raw organic honey
1 free-range organic egg

Custard

½ tablespoon gelatin (I used Great Lakes)
1 tablespoon water
1 cup / 250 ml almond milk (or other milk of your choice)
¼ cup raw organic honey
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and bean reserved
3 egg yolks
Coconut cream scraped from the top of 1 (13.5 oz) chilled can of full fat coconut milk (I used Natural Value)
3 cups mixed berries (I used blueberries and raspberries)

Directions

Place gelatin in a bowl add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk until dissolved.
In a small saucepan combine almond milk, seeds from the vanilla bean, and the bean shell and heat over medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes.
In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and honey, then slowly pour the heated milk mixture into the bowl, whisking constantly.
Return the mixture to the pan and heat for another 2 to 3 minutes while whisking the entire time.
Pour in the softened gelatin, and whisk until dissolved.
Reduce to a low simmer and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until starts to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until cold (a couple of hours should suffice.)
In the meantime make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Place pecans in the bowl of a food processor and ground them down to a coarse flour.
Add almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, honey, egg, and vanilla and pulse until a ball of dough forms.
Divide the dough among greased molds (use molds with removable bottoms if possible) and press it into the bottom and up the sides of the molds.
Cut small circles of parchment paper and lightly press them into the bottom of each mold.
Fill the bottom of each mold with beans and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove the beans and parchment paper, and bake for further 4 to 5 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
Take the cold custard from the fridge, open up the can of coconut milk and scoop the thick coconut cream (trying to keep as much liquid out the cream as possible) into the custard.
With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the custard until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Divide the custard among the cooled tartlets and chill for an hour to let the custard set.
Arrange your berries then serve immediately, or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Nutrition facts

One tartlet yields 384 calories, 30 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbs and 8 grams of protein.

31 comments:

  1. I am so not ready for summer to end - I am not even gonna mention the four letter "F" word beginning - even with all of "f"s pumpkin and apple seduction - I don't want any of it!!! And no kidding about the shorter days - I was trying to get some yard work done last night and the sun vanished on me before 8.20pm!!! No Fair!!!
    As for these tarts - Mike - these lactose FREE tartlets rock! I have a question though - I've never baked with gelatin before - does gelatin thicken up the rest of the ingredients when its baked as well as it does when left to sit?
    Btw, genius idea to add the coconut cream in too - these sound luscious!

    Your nieces and nephews must give you the uncle of the year award!

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    1. I'm so with you Shashi, shorter days are a bummer. But I have to confess, I love foliage especially here in New England. It's so beautiful!

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  2. Absolutely beautiful Mike, these look amazing!

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  3. The pictures are stunning, simply stunning!

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  4. These berry tarts look so delicious, light and surprisingly healthy! I love fresh berries so I can imagine how good these tarts would have tasted.. pinned!

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  5. They look fantastic Mike, thanks for sharing!

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  6. I'm actually looking forward to Autumn although the dark mornings can do one! These tartlets look lovely like small versions of the one my dad makes which reminds me he still needs to give me the recipe for his!

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    1. Your dad's tart is legendary, make sure he gives you the recipe and that you post it on S&S asap!

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  7. Haha, I'm just the opposite, I'm ready for Fall all year long! The summers in AZ are too stinkin' hot, and it will, in fact, stay in the 90s well into November. :-P
    These tartlets look delicious! I've never tried making a custard before, but these are the perfect excuse. Definitely pinning these! :-)

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    1. I should have said that I love New England/Canada summer, I don't think I could survive summer in AZ. Don't get me wrong, I love AZ, it's so beautiful, but too hot!

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  8. When I was younger, we used to have a raspberry bush in the back of our house - oh wait, no, like 5 of them! We would always go back there and snack for hours, ha ha! Maybe that's why we never wanted to eat my mom's "delicious" dinner... AH HA HA!

    AND I AM SO PUMPED FOR FALL IT IS NOT EVEN FUNNY. I AM NOT laughing! ;)

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  9. HI Mike, I am not ready for summer to end either, love these little tartlets and the ingredients that you used.

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  10. I am so ready for the fall weather, but only because it is way too hot in the summertime where I live. These berry tartlets look amazing and I love that they are healthy too!

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    1. Last winter was so bad I just don't want to go back to that just yet...

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  11. The photo of that dock looks like pure serenity! And those tarts...delicious! I've only cooked/baked with gelatin a few times before, but I have a lot of local blueberries to be used up and I think that this little treat might be the perfect way to do so. Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)

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    1. I know that gelatin can be pretty intimidating but in reality, it's not. It's just another ingredient!

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  12. Your nieces and nephew are so lucky to have you as their uncle! What a great experience for them to learn baking from you... too cool!

    I see red leaves on trees and get queasy - that's how bad the end of the summer feels for me

    never ready for it, I start complaining in September and my mood gets worse and worse until the end of February. Poor husband

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    1. Sally, Sally, Sally you are a true Brazilian.
      My friend Flavia from Rio starts complaining about the cold when it's still in the 80s outside. As soon as the temperature drops below that threshold, she starts whining and doesn't want to get out of the house until next summer ;)

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    2. Flavia is my kind of girl..... actually people from Rio whine more than those from Sao Paulo (where I am originally from)... ;-)

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  13. such a great recipe!
    I really enjoyed this post–both the writing and the photos!

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  14. Mike, these tartlets are the bomb. No, they are in fact...awesome! Seriously, though, that flavor combination sounds amazing, and I'd be happy to take any leftovers off of your hands. I'm nice like that. #WolfpackEats

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    1. You are the NICEST guy ever David, you are actually SO nice I don't know how your wife deals with that. ;)

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  15. I drag my feet every year when summer ends, but this really is the best time of year - it's still technically summer and all the produce is in season at once! I made an heirloom tomato salad and a pumpkin recipe last week - love the diversity this time of year! Those tarts are like rays of sunshine, and I totally agree - don't tell anyone they're healthy because they'd never know otherwise!

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you, September is awesome but it's sad to know that fall is around the corner!

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  16. Oh my goodness that dock!!!! I want to spend an entire day on it, jumping off it, climbing back on, lay on it and bask in the sun, eat a tartlet or two and then jump right back in the water!

    It just looks like the perfect place to be!

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