A Summer Dessert Part 1

Mother's Day was very low-key this year, more so than usual because Mom is still recovering from shoulder surgery. But we still managed to do a fine job with dinner. And because I couldn't decide on one dessert, I made two. The first is here, the second will be posted later this week.

Berry tartlets are one of two truly perfect summer desserts. They are light and should be served cool, which makes each bite wonderfully refreshing. I like fruit and I like making something yummy with fruit. And because fruit is healthy, a dessert with fresh fruit adds that little touch of anti-guilt to help kill the mental "I shouldn't be eating this" when all you want to do is indulge just a bit in something sweet. And what better way to enjoy fresh fruit then when it's the finishing touch of a berry tartlet?

What you'll need:
3 Tbs. ground almonds
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
3 Tbs. butter, chilled
2 Tbs. water
3/4 c. vanilla pudding
enough berries for 12-15 shells

What you'll need to do:
1. Add the ground almonds, flour, and granulated sugar to a food processor. Pulse to combine, then cut up and add the butter. Pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
2. While running the motor, slowly add the water until a dough forms. If needed, add a few extra drops. Remove the dough and form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a tartlet pan with butter or cooking spray.
4. Thinly roll out the dough on a floured surface. Use a 2 1/2 or 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds. Press together remaining dough, roll out, and continue cutting out rounds. Repeat until you run out of dough.
5. Gently place the rounds into the prepared tartlet pan and prick with a fork. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until the dough starts to get golden in color. Let cool on a rack.
6. Carefully spread pudding on the cooled shells. Arrange berries on top. See the picture at the beginning of this post to view the assembly. Prepared tartlets can be stored for several hours in the fridge. Serve chilled.

The only truly fattening part of this is the butter in the tartlet shell. Everything else is low or non-fat. No eggs are used, so this is a great recipe for anyone with egg allergies. Also, you can choose other fruits. Kiwis, bananas, and tangerines could also be used if cut into small pieces. I'm just particularly fond of the berry medley for this bite-sized dessert.

A second summer dessert recipe will follow later this week!