Greek Yogurt Lemon Tart with Rosemary Almond Crust

SWEET
TART
CLEAN
REFRESHING
GLUTEN FREE

sweet tart lemony citrus desserts are so refreshing especially this lovely tart with it's little rosemary kick.
i seem to forget about lemon desserts.  they get pushed aside for the dark chocolate, the savory peanut butter and the gooey caramel goodies.  i often post about bacon, chocolate, pig ears, pork belly and various decadent sweets and savories, but i bet you'd never guess... i actually DO eat a lot of yogurt, egg whites, grilled fish, steamed vegetables, aloe vera, kombucha, blah blah blah...
i call it my "yin and yang theory".
a little good and a little bad keeps everything in balance.

but...about this recipe...
i'd say it weighs in on the "good for you" side.  i found the original lemon rosemary tart on pinterest at Good Things Grow and pinned it to my "must-try" board.  i finally got around to it, but wanted to make a gluten free crust.  i am not gluten free, but i love to experiment and i have a few gluten free friends.
the original almond crust comes to you from Flourishing Foodie.  i love the almond flour crust idea so i just added the fresh dried rosemary...delicious.  the crust was crisp out of the oven and would be perfect served the day of, but alas...i needed to shoot the tart the next day so i stuck the finished product into the fridge.  the crust lost it's crunch, but was still a winner.  i would compare it to a cheesecake style crust.  it holds up and slices well, but got a little moist after refrigeration.  solution?...i added some crispy lightly toasted almond slivers to the servings and "voila"...the crunch was back in the mix..

Rosemary Almond Crust
Gluten Free
almond flour crust original found at Flourishing Foodie

2 cups almond flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh oven dried rosemary
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

preheat oven to 400F.  lightly butter a 9 inch tart shell.  i used a silicon pastry brush.

in a food processor add almond flour, sugar, salt, rosemary, butter, vanilla bean paste and egg white.  pulse until all ingredients are combined and start to stick together, resembling coarse meal...do not over blend...it will get mushy and ball up.

put mixture into tart shell and press out with your hands and form up the sides of the shell.  create an even layer.  i used a flat glass to lightly tamp  it down.  it will seem quite thin, but will cook to a nice crust as shown.

bake on middle rack for 15-20 minutes, or until it is light brown.  remove from oven and cool completely.

GREEK YOGURT LEMON VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD FILLING
original found at Good Things Grow

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

preheat oven to 350F
place yogurt, vanilla bean paste and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.  whisk in the egg, one at a time, then add the lemon juice and zest.  whisk until completely smooth.

pour into prepared tart crust.  i poured as much as i could and only had 1-2 Tbsp left over.
BAKE at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and only slightly jiggles.  mine was in for 28 minutes and i could have pulled it at 26 minutes.  as you see i had a few cracks, but it was not over cooked.

allow to cool completely.  stick it in the fridge for just a slight chill and a complete "set"...i refrigerated mine over night and the crust got a little moist.  it resembled a graham cracker crust, but still delicious.  i think it would be best to slightly chill and serve the day of.  this tart served very well.  it might be a bit more crumbly (not a bad thing), yet...crunchy and crisp if served the day of.

Chocolate Pear Tart

MARTHA'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

sometimes Martha has a winner...and this is one of them.

or should i say "Martha's People"...

there's just NO WAY she comes up with all this stuff on her own.

YES, i DO fall into the "Martha vortex" every now and then and i'm not afraid to admit it.

i'm not going to shout it from the roof tops or buy her dinnerware at K-mart, but i sure wish i'd bought some of her stock when it plummeted a few years back.

when things turn out as good as this lovely tart, i assure myself it's OKAY to wander through the Martha recipes...no one's gonna get hurt until something turns out bad.

regardless of how you feel about Martha...good, bad or just don't care...

you should really try this super easy tart.

the base is done in the food processor, slice a couple of pears, bake and VOILA!

a delicious, beautiful tart to be proud of

and...a fabulous addition to the pumpkin, pecan and mince pie line-up that are always regulars at the party.

MARTHA STEWART'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

here's where to find the original with comments, but i have copied it for you below.

i made zero, zip...no changes...(well...i only used 1 3/4 Bosc pears instead of 3)

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp., plus some for the pan

1 cup blanched almonds

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

3 firm, ripe Bartlett pears...i used 1 3/4 Bosc pears

1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp apple jelly...i used strained apricot preserves (Bonne Maman)

preheat oven to 350F degrees.  brush a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan with butter, set aside.

in a food processor, combine almonds and sugar...process until very finely ground.  add butter, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, salt and almond extract, if using...process until combined.

spread mixture evenly into prepared pan

peel, halve and core pears...cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and rub them with lemon juice to prevent browning

NOTE...i used a small bowl of lemon water for the pear and then blotted them dry before arranging them on the tart

arrange slices on chocolate mixture, slightly overlapping, without pressing in.

place on a baking sheet and bake until top is puffed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached (be careful not to mess up the pretty top).

should be about 45-50 minutes.  cool completely in pan

briefly heat jelly or preserves in the microwave until liquefied...strain if necessary.  gently brush the pears with the jelly and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

remove tart from pan, and serve.  

slice with a very sharp knife and you will get pretty slices...take your time or you will drag the pears through with the incorrect knife.

PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS

ahhh... the Portuguese Custard Tart. they are quite cute and really not that hard to make, although i AM wondering why they are "donned" Portuguese. they seem kinda country French or you might think the same thing in a pie crust dough would be English?...anyway, thanks to the Portuguese for these little babies AND many thanks to almostbourdain where i found this recipe.





the recipe does make 12 in a regular size muffin tin and i must say, these should be eaten the day of baking. i'm saying this only because due to HOT weather, i had to refridgerate some and it's just not the same(well, no different than anything with pastry dough). BUT don't let this deter you because they probably won't make it through the night...one just doesn't seem to be enough.




the most time consuming part of the recipe is the handling of the dough. i know, you look at the recipe and sigh relief taht you can use frozen dough, BUT the rolling it up and rolling it out, then pressing into the cups takes a bit more effort. i'll cut the whining...because as you can see in this photo of the bottom, it becomes an important part of the tart cup. i think it makes it much better than some of the recipes that just say to form the dough straight into the tin.

i don't quite know what i would serve with these. just one on a plate looks kinda lonely...besides, they are definitely one of those things you just have to pick up and take a bite. no utensil would do it justice

anyhow..try them yourself. i think they would be great for a brunch.

EASY SIMPLE PUFF PASTRY FRUIT TARTS

seen before...I KNOW !...but it was my 1st time solo with puff pastry (store bought, of course) and i know there are a few more dinosaurs out there who have yet to experience the wonder and amaze themselves with the instant gratification one can get from that small thin frozen box of ready-made dough.

i don't see a time where i would ever want to make pastry dough from scratch...WAIT...scratch that...i never thought i'd be making my own candy either !!!...

anyway, go out and buy a box and try some variations on the old tired fruit tart.

WAIT !...that didn't come out right, did it...!?

my 1st try started with seeing the strawberry black pepper tyme tart recipe that kevin found (Kevin's blog at closetcooking) and he in turn found it at the hungry mouse. both sites are great and i can always find something interesting and yummy. (check 'em out!).

so...use any variation(s) of fruit, being that we are still blessed with beautiful summer goods right now and play with spices and herbs and nuts. just follow these easy prep and cooking instructions . i decided i really liked the strawberry and thyme tart because i liked the fact that it had cardamom in it, and i hadn't worked with that either. come to find that in a regular market it's kinda expensive. i found a really good price at World Market (FYI) . now i've used cardamom quite a few times and love it.
also...these are best eaten same day, otherwise, of course, it tastes like a day old danish. anyway, they are so quick to whip up, why not have fresh all the time. keep some frozen pastry in the freezer at all times...i do now....

BAKEWELL TART

ahhh..finally, i think i got this one right...

the imfamous BAKEWELL TART

2nd try, but the first was so disapointing that i thought the English might have failed on this one...because, of course it just couldn't have been MY fault...right?

i definitely owe this one to Natilie @ Natilie's Killer Cuisine

for some reason her recipe, discription and photos caught my eye and made me want to try again. i also saw a ton of beautiful examples at tastespotting.com for the daring baker's challenge. that reminds me...i still have to try to get into the daring bakers and sign up.

this little english nibble was so good i can't wait for the opportunity to try another combo of flavors. so many ideas from the challenge.

i do love this combo with the apricot jam. i used Bonn Maman. i think the key is to use really good jam, one that you really like AND my secret weapon was GOOD almond flour. the first time i used almond meal from Trader Joe's (absolutely NOTHING wrong with this, but just not for this recipe)...love Trader Joe's...anyway, i found some beautiful blanched almond flour/meal at a Persian store in Irvine. nice and white and finely ground. i have yet to try to grind it myself. i'm afraid i'll end up with almond butter.

i wont get into the recipe or discription, because it was explained all too well in all the challenge blogs. i DO suggest trying a bakewell tart of your choice. once you try FRANGIPANE ANYTHING i know you'll become obsessed with it and start searching out other recipes involving this yummy almondy rich goodness.

Dorie G's Tartest Lemon Tart

ahhh..yesssss..dorie's tartest lemon tart...

and it is tart, but so so right.








this was not the actual crust recipe given, but this crust was, might i say, perfect... and i can say that because i didn't make it...the crust master of the house, MOM, made it. it was fun...we both got our hands dirty on this one.










there was just the right amount of dough AND filling to throw together this little guy. almost too cute to cut.....almost.











visually, the whole tart turned out beautiful yet simple. taste-wise, this baby has nothing simple about it. it's tart with just the right sweetness.



i must admit...this is not the first try with this tart. my first try was from the lovely pages of smitten kitchen (love her stuff!) recipe found here. i followed it to a T or so i thought, and mine looked like hers...oh i was so excited about it. but i gotta tell ya...i was disappointed. it kinda reminded me of a cooked lemon marmalade. like a blended up lemon with a bunch of sugar and greasy butter...wait...that's what it is!...but hold on...all is not lost. i gave a few slices away and to my surprise i was told it was one of THE BEST things i have ever made !!! a good friend of mine, alice, who has traveled france quite a bit and pretty much knows her authentic tarts is the one that flipped over this one. so i thought i must be crazy..i had to try it again. i googled dorie's tartest lemon tart and low and behold found out that most all the other examples (from a TWD found at the host babette's blog) had a 1/2 c. of heavy cream.

well, back to the drawing board...and just in time for my pal alices 29th birthday. luckily my pastry chef had whipped up a few discs of that fabulous dough for another try. for this one i emplored her help through the whole process due to the fact there was no room for error. the tart had to be delivered on that saturday in time for alices birthday weekend. needless to say tart #2 came out much better in my opinion...but now i'm questioning my opinion..hmmm....anyway, i was told yummy and fabulous by the birthday girl and the mini tart we saved for ourselves was devoured down to the knuckle.

so, the point of this story is...that this is a damn good tart no matter what i think!!! if your looking to WOW your guests with something you'd only expect from a fabulous dinner out...try this one on for size...

BUTTERMILK ALMOND TART

APPLE CAKE TART

apple cake?...not really...apple tart?...not so much...layered apple goodness?...exactly!

can make for a nice impressive presentation, BUT i would recommend cutting it out of spectaters view...although if you had a nicely sharpened knife (i don't...on the list of things to-do) it might cut just fine. it's knid of a rustic looking thing anyways, so who cares what your slice looks like when it's goin' down.







the sides are beautiful and cakey looking. i think the scallopped tart dish is the best way to go. i was going to try this in a spring form, but glad i opted for the pretty one.

layers and layes of yummy golden delicious apples. this looks like it could double for a potato gratin.



as seen in the photo, i thought it would be more cake-like..., but it really was more...hmmmm....clafouti-ish inside.

end results ???...

i might try this again...i might try cooking it a bit longer...i might try a little less apples and maybe chunkier slices to allow the batter more room to cake-up...hmmmm more thoughts later...

many thnaks to fellow foodie IRENE for this recipe

found here...

http://confessionsoftart.blogspot.com/2008/11/apple-cake.html

ALMOND TOFFEE TART

a perfect recipe for a first time tart. actualy, i dodn't think you could go wrong with this one...easy crust, easy filling, but you do want to watch it towards the end in the oven so as not to burn the almonds...as we all know is too easy to do.

recipe found here... many thanks to "Our Best Bites"http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/04/almond-toffee-tart.html

this is one deliciously dence "spot on"crunchy almond, chewie toffee, buttery crust tart. it would definitely be a winner at any party, but i fear it would not make it out of the house.

i must say, i'm a little proud of my first tart. the shell, or crust, is simple and quick. it turned out quite crumbly, but maybe that's my fault for not pressing it down enough. maybe it's supposed to be that way because it did turn out light and good.