So for the past several years, it has always been a summer tradition to go blueberry picking with my mom. Usually this ends up occurring more than once a season seeing as how they disappear so quickly! I decided to test out one of my baking recipes for gluten free blue berry and raspberry tarts with our bounty this morning. Let me tell you, while they may not look like anything special, the smells that are wafting through the apartment right now say otherwise!
Here's the recipe:
When it comes to gluten free baking, you obviously can't use your everyday all-purpose flour which is wheat based. So a combination of these three types of flour act as a great replacement for it! I love to use the King Arthur Flour Company brand the most because it has the finest grind but any brand will do!
In a large bowl, mix together 2/3 cup of brown rice flour, 1/4 cup of potato starch (not potato flour! There's a difference!), and 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour. Add 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum. Be very precise with this measurement because xanthum gum is what gives structure to the shell! Too much or too little and the consistency won't be correct. Mix these ingredients with an electric mixer.
Dice up 5 tablespoons of cold butter and add to the dry mixture. Beat well (or you can use a food processor) until the mixture is crumbly. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat well again.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour (brown rice flour) the pans. Take the mixture and gently press into either a 9" pie pan or into individual muffin tins covering the bottom and approximately half of the walls. Place the tart shells into the oven and bake for approximately 18 minutes or until golden brown.
While the shells are baking, you can start to prepare the fruit filling! Like I said, I had blueberries and raspberries on hand but you can really use any good baking fruit that you like. I placed the blueberries (about a pint) in a bowl and mixed in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. I followed the same process for the raspberries in a separate bowl.
Once the shells are finished baking, fill the muffin tins the rest of the way with the prepared fruits and put a dot of butter on the top of each. Stick the tarts back in the oven for another 15 minutes or just long enough so the fruits begin to release there juices. Let the tarts cool for 30 minutes in the pans and then place the pan in the refrigerator to chill.
Let the tarts cool in the pan for approximately an hour until fully chilled through and then carefully remove from the pan. Store in a tightly sealed container.
ENJOY!
