Time for Tarts!

Start the new year and new season on a sweet yet healthy note! It’s time to indulge and savour in some delightful desserts, however gone are the days when digging into a smidgeon of creamy, rich tart was fun. With an increasing number of health conscious dessert lovers on the rise, it is cool perhaps cool to dig your fork into nutrient and low-fat, guilt-free tarts this season. In short, it’s called smart eating by embracing healthy treat without sacrificing the great taste!

Dessert gourmet – Ayushi Shah’s foraying into new territory with explosions of exotic flavours, her dessert brand Icing On Top doles out fully vegetarian gourmet experience for sweet-toothed enthusiasts.

She explains why are healthy tarts more popular today, “ They are small and therefore you don’t feel too guilty eating a few in different flavours. They can be made in a bunch of different flavours and textures, including using nuts and oats, and honey. Being small, they also allow a person to satisfy their sweet tooth without over dosing themselves. We get atleast three orders of tarts every day, they include our healthy versions as well as our not-so-healthy versions. We usually make tarts while catering to large or small gatherings, like dinner parties, card parties, bachelorrettes, weddings, and baby or wedding showers, as they are much like canapes – small and ready to eat.

Ayushi further gives useful inputs on making healthy tarts, “ Make sure your tart shells are small and baked completely. Try using oats or semolina to add texture to your crust, adding nuts adds a crunch to your filling. And using honey, dates, raisins or figs work as a natural sweetener helps.”

Slice into these healthy tart recipes at home and delight your kith n kin on weekends or special occasions.

1. Oat and Apple Cinnamon Tart

Tarts shell:

1. 150g flour
2. 75g rolled oats
3. 65g butter
4. 15g castor sugar
5. ¼ tsp baking powder

Roll all into a dough, chill for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, thaw and roll out to 25mm thickness. Line tart moulds and keep aside. Keep the excess dough, to greate a lattice of the top.

Apple Cinnamon Filling

1. 500g apples, cored and diced
2. 2 tbsp honey
3. 1 tsp ground cinnamon powder<\li>
4. 75g toasted walnuts, chopped
5. 25g yellow raisins
6. 1 tsp butter

Warm the butter in a saucepan and add the apples, honey and cinnamon powder. Toss for a few minutes, till apples are tender to touch, but still have a bit. 3-5 minutes on a medium flame. Keep tossing the apples so that they don’t burn. Just before removing the pan from the flame, throw in the walnuts and raisins.

Keep aside till cool.

Using a spoon, fill up the tarts with the apple filling, just to the brim. Take care not to over fill. Use the remaing dough to create a lattice on top of the tart. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake, in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes for a small tart and about 45 minutes for large tart, at 170 degrees, celcius.

Remove, and serve warm.

2. Honey Roasted Nut Tart

Tarts shell:

1. 150g flour
2. 75g rolled oats
3. 65g butter
4. 15g castor sugar
5. ¼ tsp baking powder

Roll all into a dough, chill for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, thaw and roll out to 25mm thickness. Line tart moulds and bake in a pre heated oven for 12 minutes, at 180 degrees Celsius.

Honey Roasted Nut Filling

1. 350g mixed nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, cashew, walnuts, pecans, etc)
2. 100 ml honey

Roast all nuts separately, keeping in mind the temperature. Make sure all are evenly browned. Chop all the nuts into medium sized bits, and then mix the honey into the still warm nuts. Add in a splash of brandy if you feel like it.

Spoon two tablespoons of the mixture into the tart shells, filling them completely. Bake them again for 4-5 minutes and serve warm with a scoop of fruit sorbet.

You cannot escape these healthy desserts for anything in this world. They are super healthy, tasty and not at all sinful. Happy eating!

– By Kavita