Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Blueberry Tarts!

On recommendation from my sister, I got a subscription to Eating Well magazine. I just got my first issue and it is packed full of delicious looking healthy recipes. (Check out www.eatingwell.com. You can find practically all their recipes online too. I just love getting stuff in the mail.) I've tried several of their recipes and have enjoyed each one that I have tried, so my faith in them is pretty high. The most current issue talks a lot about summer foods, finding fresh and local produce, and the benefits of certain foods, one being blueberries. (Check it out here.) Now, I'm a huge fan of blueberry muffins and blueberries in my smoothies, but I've never been terribly crazy about blueberries themselves. But Eating Healthy (my new food Bible) told me that they are extraordinarily good for me and I wanted to obey. So, when I saw their recipe for a blueberry tart with a walnut and graham cracker crust (found here for interested parties) I was more than sure that I could manage to infuse a little more blueberriness into my life.


At the commissary (military grocery store for those not in the know) last night, I proceeded to buy many ingredients for a healthier style of living, including lots of fruits and vegetables and less frozen and/or processed ingredients. I always hit the produce section last before leaving the grocery store so it doesn't have to sit in my cart while I look through rows and rows of non-perishable items. As David and I were collecting zucchini, corn, snow peas, strawberries, and lemons, we discovered that there were no blueberries left. I was heart-broken. I determined that I could just cover the whole tart with strawberries (which is fine, because I like strawberries more) but I had been so set on embracing the blueberry. Then, what should appear, but a nice produce man with boxes and boxes of blueberries and strawberries and raspberries to restock the dwindling supplies. It was a sign from the food gods that I was to lead a healthier, more blueberrier life. (At least during the summer.)


Today, I tackled the blueberry tart. The results are quite pretty and very tasty (if I do say so myself) and I felt compelled to share my blueberry and strawberry tart success with the public:
Next time, I won't just throw all the blueberries onto the cream cheese filling, but I'll place them nicely for a more polished product. But the jumble of berries in no way detracts from the tastyness.

Proudly displaying my tart. I was very happy it did not slide right out of its pan. That would have been embarrassing.

David preparing for his first bite. Always the over-actor....

Looking forward to his next bite of blueberry goodness.

So my friends, this post ends with a happy, blueberry filled stomach and a delicious recipe to pass along. Next on my list is a sesame seed noodle dish, lemon ice cream, and artisanal bread like the kind I ate in Italy. Since my attempt at whole-wheat pizza dough was a resounding success, I'm feeling very good about my chances of surviving the terror that is bread-making. And maybe, you'll get a fun little post and happy pictures to accompany it.

2 comments:

abby said...

You should give a tour of your place in one of your blog entries. It looks pretty nice from the background. It must be awesome to have a place of your own.

Liz said...

I've been trying to take pictures of the condo but either 1) it's a mess and I don't want anyone to see how messy we get or 2) the pictures don't turn out very well because there isn't enough light. (We really need to get a new camera.) It is very nice to have our own place and getting to decorate it but unfortunately our funds have run out so we can't do any more improvements right now. But it is still a nice place.