I don’t consider myself an anti-social person but I despise talking on the phone. When my phone rings it’s like this thing goes off inside of me and I’m like. “AHH! Someone’s calling!” I usually press ignore. And then feel guilty about it. Except when it’s my mom. But that’s because I actually like talking to her for 2 hours about nothing – who else will listen to my rants, melt-downs, gossip?
I’ve been without a car for the last 24-hours (it’s in the shop – normal maintenance) and it’s forced me to explore delivery options. And man, the best thing ever invented is the whole online-delivery-option. No phone call required! No screaming over the phone trying to spell your name and address! No talking to people on the phone–it’s great. Life is good.
I ate 3/4 of a whole pizza to myself with a Mexican coke and a slice of this tart for dessert. Delivery cheap pizza with a fancy tart. The best Tuesday night ever.
This tart is perfect for lazy summer days. It’s one part work and one part no work at all. The only thing that’s baked is the crust! The rest is assembly.
I’ve made variations of this crust a few different times, interchanging the almond flour for hazelnut flour and oat flour–it’s a gem of a recipe. It’s very similar to a shortbread cookie with almond and slightest bit of cardamom note. It’s not overpowering. It’s that thing where you’ll have to think what that wonderful hint of flavor you’re tasting is.
Lebneh is basically just strained yogurt. It results in a thicker, more rich consistency, which is wonderful for a tart like this (non-strained yogurt would be too watery).
Honey sweets the lebneh just right. I used a delicious wildflower honey from Ojai, California. I’d recommend seeking out a good-tasting, special honey for this tart. Blueberries are assembled in an OCD manner for ultimate cuteness. Really it’s not required, the tart will taste delicious regardless.
Ingredients
Lebneh:
- 2 cups full-fat or Greek yogurt
Almond crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 14 tablespoons 1 3/4 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
Filling:
- 3 tablespoons of good-quality honey I used wildflower
- Pinch of fine-grain sea salt
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 naval or valencia orange
Instructions
Lebneh (Time: 24-48 hours):
- Line a strainer or sieve with a few layers of cheese cloth. Suspend the strainer over a bowl (my strainer has hooks on the end so it works pretty well), being sure it doesn't rest at the bottom of the bowl (you don't want the lebneh to be sitting in the whey). Cover the yogurt and bowl with plastic wrap and transfer it to the refrigerator to drain for at least 24 hours (a few days is awesome too, it'll just result in thicker lebneh). After it's drained, discard the whey and set the lebneh aside.
Almond crust:
- In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cardamom and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and confectioners' sugar. Mix on medium-low speed until well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Mix in the egg and then the yolk, allowing each to be incorporated before adding the next. In two additions, add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean lightly floured work surface. Divide it in half, shape into flattened disks, and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using.)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally flour your work surface and rolling pin. Remove one of the discs from the refrigerator and place on the counter. If the crust is too cold to roll out, allow it to come to room temperature, slightly, for about 10 minutes. Roll the crust out, being sure to turn it every so often so it doesn't stick to the counter (this dough is a bit sticky), and adding more flour for dusting, when needed. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to a 14 x 4-inch tart pan (alternatively you could use a 9-inch tart pan). If the dough falls apart a bit, not to worry. Take the scraps and press it into the dough, sealing any cracks or holes, and then trimming the overhang. Using a fork, score the bottom of the tart crust. Transfer it to the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Line the tart with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or pennies. Transfer to the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until tart crust is lightly golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To assemble the tart:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the lebneh, honey and sea salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. (At first the mixture will appear striated with the honey but it'll eventually come together - keep mixing!) Pour the lebneh mixture into the tart crust and spread evenly. Arrange the blueberries to your liking - I went with the four blueberries per row. There's no wrong way!
- Just before serving, microplane orange zest over the entire tart.
Almond Sable Tart crust adapted from Karen Demasco (her book is a winner!)
Note: the dough recipe yields two crusts. You can double the filling ingredients so you end up with two-tarts OR you can freeze the other disc of dough for future use. I chose the latter.
And I do kebab delivery. I try to serve customers quickly. By the way, the recipe I liked either. Thank you!
How beautiful. I’m so excited to try this. With a friend on a grainless diet, I’m going to attempt an all-almond flour tart crust. We’ll see!
Ooooo…do it and let me know how it goes!
Love blueberries… your tart sounds quite divine!
This tart is gorgeous!! The almond crust sounds so good, I kind of want to eat that plain!! Although the addition of the yogurt and blueberries can only make it better 🙂
This is absolutely perfect for the heatwave we’re currently experiencing in Holland. Plus, I love lebneh 🙂
This seems so easy! The only real work is in the crust. Love how simple this is and yet I’m sure the flavours from the yogurt, honey & spice are really complex.
When I saw your tweet about this tart on twitter I mentally bookmarked this link – I love blueberries and it is cruel torture that after years of easy access to them year round while living in London (admittedly they did not always taste great year round), Rome, where I currently live, does not seem to care much for blueberries and they are hard to find.
I also love that you used labneh for the filling – I love the flavour and consistency. The leftover whey is actually super nutritious and can easily be thrown into smoothies. And that crust? I love an unusual crust and your almond and cardamom combo definitely hits the spot!
I love Lebneh! I grew up with it but never had it as a dessert! I’ll have to definitely make this soon! Wonderful pictures and great post! 🙂
Holy yum I LOVE these flavors together!
On a side note, I’m glad I’m not the only one who despises talking on the phone. If it’s not my family or boyfriend I hit ignore. Plain and simple. But I ALWAYS feel guilty…and then it passes and I’m over it. haha 😛
I love the addition of cardamom! It’s one of my favorite spices so I will definitely be trying out this tart crust.
Absolutely gorgeous!
love that this doesn’t require barely any cooking! and it’s so pretty.
and oh!!! i’m behind you on the anti-phone movement! i’ve told people for years i have phone phobia. texting and emailing is just so much nicer. other than my BFF that lives many, many miles away, i don’t use my phone for talking.
This looks gorgeous and delicious! Blueberries and almonds are such a great combination. I wonder if this could be made with all almond flour? I’ve gone gluten-free. Might have to try it…