lisa.w.hsieh This delicious berry tart is the perfect way to end a meal and it’s sure to impress your guests! Everyone will love the mix of rich whipped cream with crunchy almond meringue and fresh, juicy berries!
Every Christmas, we have a large family get together at my cousin Chris’ house because it was also his birthday! Food is the cornerstone of our family and our Christmas feast always included traditional favourites like turkey, roast beef and a ham sprinkled in with some Chinese favourites like crab fried rice, beef rice noodles and chow mein. The best part of Christmas dinner every year though was the dessert table. Since it was also my cousin’s birthday, we typically had multiple cake options, ice cream and platters of cookies and fruit. One of my favourites has always been a berry tart we picked up from the supermarket.
This year, we obviously weren’t able to have our yearly family Christmas dinner (the first time ever I didn’t spend Christmas with my extended family 🙁 ), so I thought I’d have a mini Christmas celebration by making my own berry tart! This is more of a summer dessert, when there’s easier access to ripe berries but this always reminds me of Christmas.
This tart is filled with yummy whipped cream mixed with berries and crushed almond meringue. It adds the perfect level of sweetness and crunch to this dessert!
Light & Airy Berry Tart
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Easy Tart Shell
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter (cold)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Almond Meringue Cookies
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Tart Filling
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Easy Tart Shell
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C
- 1. Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 2. Pulse/stir in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal (This can be done by hand too! Just cut the butter into small cubes and mix with flour mixture)
- 3. Add egg yolk, cream and vanilla and mix until dough starts to gather into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl
- 4. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for min. 1 hour (or up to 3 days if you're making this ahead)
- 5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into thickness of about 1/8 inch (Roll about an 11-inch circle for 9-inch pan) and gently place into tart pan. Brush away any excess flour and trim edges.
- 6. Optional step: Place in freezer for 30min before baking, this helps prevent the shell from shrinking while baking
- 7. Press parchment paper or foil against the crust, making sure to cover the edges. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice, evenly distributed over the surface. (This prevents the crust from rising)
- 8. Bake crust for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake uncovered for 10 minutes until golden brown and dry. Let cool completely.
Almond Meringue Cookies
- 1. Heat sliced almonds and half of the icing sugar over medium heat. Keep stirring so that sugar doesn't burn! Once there's a caramel smell. remove pan from heat and keep stirring until it has cooled a bit. Let cool completely
- 2. Heat oven to 160C/320F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper
- 3. Beat egg whites in medium sized bowl until they form stiff peaks. Use a metal or glass bowl for best results! I would avoid plastic since there's usually leftover residue. Add remaining sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla and beat until glossy
- 4. Gently fold in caramelized almonds
- 5. Spoon meringue mixture onto baking trays in small cookie shapes, leave room in case they expand. Leave meringue to dry to 15 minutes before baking
- 6. Bake for 30 minutes and you can leave in oven to dry more while making the filling.
Assembling the Tart
- 1. Whip heavy cream, 2 tsp of sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form
- 2. Take half the berries in another bowl and mash them up with a tbsp of sugar
- 3. Break up meringue cookies into small pieces (I live to save a few to serve on the side with each slice)
- 4. Gently fold the mashed up berries and meringue pieces into the cream
- 5. Fill the tart with the cream mixture, using a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly and spread remaining berries evenly on top. Dust with some icing sugar
