Honeyed Almond Blackberry Pinenut Tart

You know, I consider myself to be a pretty lucky lady. Not win-the-lottery lucky, but my life is pretty good. Maybe it’s the holidays making me soft, but I’m really feeling my luck lately. I’m lucky in love. I’m lucky to have a job that I enjoy, I’m lucky that my children are healthy (even if they are terribly mischievous), and I’m lucky that I get to share my recipes with all of you. One of the perks of the latter is getting to try new and different products in my recipes. I received a sample set of honey from bee raw honey, and I couldn’t wait to try it out. The first thing I made was one of these tarts. I made one again the next day, and one the day after that. It has been thoroughly tested, and deliciousness is guaranteed. You’ll feel pretty lucky too, after you eat one.

Honeyed Almond Blackberry Pinenut Tart

Makes two 5″ tarts

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 stick (4oz, 113g) softened butter
• 1/2 stick (2oz) softened cream cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the rest:

• 1/2 pint blackberries, halved
• 2 Tbs Maine Wild Raspberry Honey
• 2 oz (about 3 Tbs) almond paste
• 1/4 cup pinenuts
• 1 egg white, beaten

Method

1. First make the crust. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle beat the butter and cream cheese on medium until combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour 1/4 cup at a time just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover well, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days), until firm.
2. Preheat the over to 350F. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half out to about an 8″ circle on a silpat or parchment paper. If you have a silpat, you should be able to roll the dough out without flour. If you are using parchment, lightly dust the dough and paper with flour to keep from sticking.
3. Split the almond paste in two and pat it out into a 5″ circle. Place in the center of the dough. Top each round of almond paste with a tablespoon of honey and spread into an even layer. Top the honey with the halved blackberries, cut side down. Fold the overhanging dough over the blackberries, pinching the dough where there are any visible holes to avoid leaking.
4. Brush the tops of the tarts with the beaten egg white and immediately sprinkle with the pinenuts. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the pinenuts are toasted.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Drizzle the tops with honey and serve warm. (Not pictured: 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream on a warm tart is awesome).