First of all, thank you. Your encouraging comments and snippets from your own personal experiences, have been so encouraging to read (and re-read when I was convinced I should ask for my job back at 3am a couple nights ago). I think you’re pretty neat, and if you are ever in my area, I will share this tangy spring tart with you.
I am not a good sleeper. I think and overanalyze until my brain simply can’t take it anymore, and only then will I fall asleep. A best friend, being short on time, asked me to come up with ideas of things she could cook WHILE taking a shower. It’s these kinds of questions which keep me up at night. Having answers can be consuming, and I mean that for both the big and small questions in life.
I come up with cooking ideas that sound good in theory, but with no certainty that they will turn out. This tart was one of those experiments. I’d plucked pieces from other blogs, pictures I’d seen in magazines and mixed them together into something I envisioned would taste good and look pretty. A few tries later, and forcing the imperfect tarts on everyone I’ve seen in the past week, we finally have something worth sharing. It is light, to welcome spring, but still rich enough to taste like a satisfying dessert. You can’t make it while taking a shower, but it’s worth your time.
YOGURT & GOAT CHEESE TART // Serves 8
I love the swirl of the acai puree here because it is different. Sambazon frozen packets are fairly easy to find, especially at a health food store, but any berry puree (fresh or frozen) will work, it just won’t be as smooth. As I mention in the directions with the acai, you will need to reduce it down a bit for a thicker consistency.
1 1/2 Cups Lowfat Plain Greek Yogurt
8 oz. Chevre (Soft Goat’s Cheese), at room temperature
1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Large Egg Whites
1/3 – 1/2 Cup Honey
2 Tbsp. Reduced Acai Puree*
* Thaw the frozen acai packet or berries, blend if what you’re using is not already blended. Simmer on stove on medium for about 2-3 minutes until most of the water is released, and you have a paste left. Mix that paste with 1 tsp. of honey. Set aside.
// Crust //
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Oat Flour
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1/4 Cup Muscavado/Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Real Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Nutmeg
Oven to 350′
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, oat flour, muscavado or brown sugar, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Add the softened butter and mix to create a moist crumb. Coat the bottom of a glass or ceramic 10” pie pan with a thin swipe of butter, and distribute the oat mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides. It’s ok if it’s not perfect, rustic looks pretty.
2. Bake the crust on the middle rack for about 12 minutes. Cool while you make the filling.
3. In the meantime, put the chevre and yogurt in a bowl and beat on low with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes (or briskly with a whisk) until combined and smooth. Add honey and lemon juice and combine. With the egg whites in another bowl, loosen them with a whisk for a minute, and add them to the goat mixture. Beat with the mixers/whisk for just 30 seconds to combine. You don’t want to incorporate too much air or it will get too poofy in the oven.
4. Put the acai puree in the yogurt filling bowl, and give it one or two folds to swirl in the color, as you pour it into the crust, it will swirl more.
4. Place the pie dish in a larger (I used 13×9) pan, and fill it with water until it comes up about 1/2” up the side. Bake in the middle rack for about 30 minutes until the edges are set. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar, and allow the tart to sit in there another 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
4. Refrigerate for at least two hours for the tart to firm up. Cut it with a clean, sharp knife, and clean it with a damp cloth between slices.
by Sara
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