I have always felt that August is the awesomest of all months. It’s not because it’s my birthday month (well, perhaps a little), but it’s also the ultimate month when all kind of goodness seems to be in season simultaneously. My instagram feed has been filled with shots of earthy carrots, chard, cherries and apples from farmer’s markets all across the world. The forests are overflowing with wild blueberries. And in the gardens raspberries, gooseberries and currants are hanging heavy. At least in our part of the northern hemisphere. August truly is the gold picking month for herbivores.
Ever since I met Luise I have learned to replace my former (heavy) addiction to sweets with fruit and berries. And during this summer I have brought home more strawberries, raspberries and blueberries than any normal family could ever eat. Having a fridge filled with fresh berries just feels like the ultimate luxury to me. And it’s not even expensive at the moment! So with all these berries in our home we have become quite the experts on different usages. Apart from the obvious – eating them straight up, with a splash of almond milk – we have also used them in smoothies, cookies, pies and crumbles.
We spent last weekend with some relatives (perhaps you remember my strawberry aunt?). They have an unbelievably beautiful house 2 hours north of Stockholm. And in their garden we found fresh gooseberries, mint and wild raspberries. Together with some blueberries that we had picked earlier that week, we prepared this wild berry tart on a simple vegan oat & almond crust. This really is one of the easiest things you can bake and makes use of whatever berries you have lying around. We add some extra berries after it is baked – it makes it look extra pretty and the different textures of the berries also adds a nice complexity to the tart.
Wild Berry, Almond & Oat Tart
Makes 1 (8-inch/20 cm) tart, 6–8 servings
You can use whatever berries you find. Be aware that berries differ in tartness (red currants have for example a more tart flavor than raspberries and blueberries), adjust the sweetener accordingly.
1 cup /240 ml rolled oats
1/2 cup / 120 ml / 70 g ground almond flour
2 tbsp corn starch
a pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or ground powder
3 tbsp coconut oil or butter
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
2 cups fresh wild berries + 1/2 cup for after baking (we used blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries and red currants)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp lemon juice + freshly grated zest from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Combine the oat with almond flour, corn starch and sea salt in a bowl. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup. With your hands, work the dry ingredients towards the centre until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm, then chill for about 30 minutes. This is important to make the dough less crumbly.
Toss the berries with maple syrup, lemon and mint in a medium size bowl and set aside for a while to help the flavors develop.
Press the dough evenly into an 8 inch / 20 cm tart pan. Trim the dough flush with the edge of the pan, or leave the edges uneven for a more rustic look. Prick the bottom with a fork and pre-bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and add 2 cups of the maple tossed berries. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the berry filling is bubbly and juicy. Remove from the oven and add the rest of the berries on top. Serve as it is or with a scoop of turkish yogurt, mascarpone or ice cream.
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