I know last month I told you guys how obsessed I am with summer fruit. Well I’m happy to say that the obsession is still very much alive, and I don’t foresee it dying down anytime soon. Lately I’ve been having a really hard time feeling excited to get into the kitchen to cook. I’m not sure what’s up, but I just haven’t been feeling the most inspired in terms of cooking. Baking on the other hand? Very inspired! Of course I’m still cooking and loving the recipes I share, but I’m just really embracing my sweet tooth…
A lot of times I can get hung up on whether or not I’m creating too many savory recipes, too many desserts, or too many dishes with pasta. I really like to balance out the recipes I share. But the bottom line is that it’s summer, and now is the time to be sharing all the berry and stone fruit filled recipes. I mean, right?! RIGHT. Long story short, expect lots of berries, stone fruits, summer tarts, pies, ice creams, and all the good stuff in the coming weeks.
Moving along… The inspiration for the tart came out of the desire to create an easy no bake recipe that involved lots of fresh fruit and custard. I’ve been very into custard ever since making this mocha custard. It’s so creamy and delicious. We love it around here. I knew I wanted to make a custard tart, but I also really wanted it to be no bake. I took a quick look at the weather around the US last week and realized that a lot of us are dealing with eighty plus degree temperatures. Heat like this obviously means no oven, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have our desserts. So, I created a no-bake crust, filled it with the best and easiest vanilla custard, and topped it with all the summer fruits. Perfection.
Here are all the details. For the crust, I didn’t go the traditional graham cracker route and instead used one of my favorite crackers, Ritz. I’ve loved Ritz ever since I was a kid. They’re buttery, salty and just really addicting. I love using them in sweet recipes because they give off a nice salty flavor. Who doesn’t love a salty/sweet combo, you know? The Ritz are crushed into fine crumbs, mixed with butter and honey, and then pressed into a rough rectangle to create the crust. What I love about this crust is that it is totally free form, totally easy, and totally delicious. No stress about rolling out dough and no special pans. Just press the mix into a rough rectangle and done. It’s a simple as that. What I’ll say about the crust is that if it’s not chilled, it will crumble a bit. Still good, but this is really best served straight out of the fridge.
For the filling, I made a very simple stove-top vanilla custard. It’s sweet, creamy, hinted with vanilla, and the perfect thing to serve with fresh berries and stone fruits. You’ll want to spread the custard over the tart crust and then chill for a couple of hours. Then just before serving add the berries. As I mentioned, this is really best served straight out of the fridge, and if you are drizzling the tart with honey, do that right before you cut it up. The honey seeps into the custard and creates cracks, so it’s best to drizzle that on right before serving. I love sprinkling over a little fresh thyme, but that is completely optional, so you do what you like there!
With Friday here, I’m feeling like it’s time to hit up the farmers market, grab all the fruit, and make this no bake tart. Who’s in? Cool. Cool. Let’s do this then. Perfect way to spend the first full weekend of July!
If you make this mixed berry tar, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this summer tart, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
