Blackberry & Almond Tart in Buckwheat Pastry

ABOUT THIS BLACKBERRY & ALMOND TART

Blackberry & almond is a wonderful combination for an autumn season tart.  This recipe is sweetened naturally from the blackberries and ground almonds so it needs only a relatively small amount of brown sugar and pure Maple syrup to make it into this delicious, juicy tart.

The filling is accompanied by an almond and buckwheat pastry case which is blind baked for a crispy texture.

Blackberries are a great autumnal berry which are low in sugar but high in vitamin C and natural antioxidants, making it a wonderful nutritional addition to your diet when the seasonal germs start and you want to keep coughs and colds at bay!

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE USED IN THIS TART?

The ingredients in this tart have been carefully chosen to make the most of flavour and nutrition while still being able to create a recipe which tastes like and feels like a treat!

Those ingredients include buckwheat flour and ground almonds in place of using white wheat flour traditionally used in pastry.

Brown sugar is used in place of white refined sugar due to it’s retainment of molasses in the sugar cane which is where all of the nutrients are.  Refining sugar into the white variety most people are familiar with, means it has been stripped of this original nutrient profile. Dark muscovado sugar is still sugar and is digested as such – a quick release of energy which can raise blood sugar levels.  I always try and minimise the amount of sugar used in my recipes but it is needed to make recipes tastes like a dessert . A little goes a long way if you’re used to a low sugar diet and I opt to choose darker colour sugars which contain more of the molasses, where possible.  This results in a slightly different texture and stronger flavour profile, more like toffee, than the usual super sweet white cane sugar – I know which one I prefer!

Eggs in this recipe act as a binder but also provide a range of nutrients together with protein.

Extra virgin olive oil if bought from a good source, cold-pressed, adds good fats and makes an alternative to using butter if you require the recipe to be free of dairy.

Low sugar fruit such as berries, add a delicious juicy sweetness while providing antioxidants and vitamin C.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING BUCKWHEAT?

Buckwheat is a seed commonly known as ‘buckwheat groats.’ It is thought of as being similar to a grain and is used as such and can be found in it’s whole form of a seed/groat and can be subject to methods of being soaked, sprouted, cooked, ground or puffed like rice.

The ways of eating buckwheat are plentiful – soak them and eat raw, cook them and serve as an alternative to rice or grind them down to a flour and use in baked goods.

Although buckwheat is an ancient grain, it’s serve in popularity has been rather recent. This popularity has meant that it can now be found on supermarket shelves and is accessible to those wanting to incorporate it into their diets. Buy it in whole seed/groat form or buy it already processed as a flour.  It’s a worthwhile store-cupboard ingredient to have on hand when you need it.

IS BUCKWHEAT GLUTEN-FREE?

Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free, making it an ideal ingredient to bake with for those intolerant or sensitive to gluten. It contains a good amount of fibre which helps with bowel movements and gut health and is also low on the glycaemic index, making it a good choice for diets needing to be lower in sugar.

HOW DO I SOAK AND SPROUT BUCKWHEAT?

Buckwheat groats are relatively quick and easy to soak. 

First, rinse the groats by placing them in a sieve and running under cold water. Place the rinsed groats into a bowl and cover with water.  Leave them to soak for as little as 1 hour or overnight. Using freshly boil water will quicken the process if you don’t have much time for soaking – simply cover with freshly boiled water for 30mins.

Rinse and drain the soaked groats. These groats can now be eaten with your dish or continue if you would like to sprout them.

Place the groats in a thin layer in a shallow bowl and leave on a countertop to sprout for 2-3 days.

Each day, rinse the groats with fresh water to keep them moist and stop any mould growing on them.

Once the groats have grown a sprout, rinse them well and drain before storing them in a suitable container and keeping them cool in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Look out for any mould forming on the sprouts and discard these areas as needed.

It is best to make these sprouts in small amounts and eat as soon as they have sprouted.  Because they are easy to make, it is a good idea to have a small amount soaking and sprouting on rotation, so you always have fresh sprouts when you need them!

Sprouting any seed or grain will increase the bioavailability of the nutrients within them so sprouting your seeds and grains is a worthwhile task. It also reduces the inhibitor enzymes within seeds and legumes which hinder easy digestion so this makes sprouting good for those with digestive issues.

HOW DO I COOK BUCKWHEAT GROATS?

To cook buckwheat groats, combine approximately 1.5-2 times the volume of water to the volume of buckwheat groats so 1 cup of buckwheat groats and 1.5-2 cups of water.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until they are soft and plump in texture.

These cooked groats can be served warm within your desired dish or stored in the fridge and eaten cold.

HOW CAN I USE BUCKWHEAT FLOUR?

Buckwheat flour should not be substituted for wheat flour on a 1:1 ratio.  It acts more like oat flour and is quite dense in baked goods.  I find it works well in a tart pastry case because there is no requirement for it to rise as needed to do in a cake. It holds well in pastry (or pancakes) due to it’s density.  Therefore, it makes for a good gluten-free pastry ingredient.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

You will need;

23cm loose bottomed fluted tart tin

Bowls for mixing

Baking beans or dry rice for blind baking the pastry

Damp tea towel

Rolling pin

Oven temperature pre-heated to 180 degrees C.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR BUCKWHEAT PASTRY

Buckwheat flour

Almond flour (ground almonds)

Lemon zest

Brown sugar

Egg

Olive oil

The easiest way to make the pastry is by using a food processor. Simply place all of the pastry ingredients into the food processor and pulse for around 20-30 seconds until it forms a course texture. Add 2 TBSP of cold water and pulse again.  The mixture should stick together when pressed between your finger and thumb.  Add a splash more water if needed.

If you are making the pastry by hand, whisk the egg into a bowl and add the olive oil, sugar, lemon zest and 2 TBSP of cold water – whisk to combine.  Now fold the buckwheat flour and ground almonds into the mixture and combine to make a course, sticky dough consistency.  

Once you have formed the dough, bring it together in a large ball in the mixing bowl.  Cover the ball with a damp tea towel and place the bowl in the fridge to firm-up for 30 minutes. The cold temperature will help the dough stick together, ready for rolling.

Dust a clean surface with flour ready for rolling out the pastry. Also, dust the flan tin with a dusting of flour.

Now, remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and place onto the floured worksurface. Gently ease the pastry into a flat, round, roughly 1cm thick. Place the rolled pastry into the tart tin. Ensure the pastry covers the bottom and sides of the tart tin and press gently into place. Trim off any excess pastry. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper in the centre of the flan tin and weigh it down with baking beans or dried rice. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes then remove the beans and parchment paper and leave it to cool while you make the filling.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THE FILLING

Ground almonds

Olive oil

Pure Maple syrup

vanilla bean paste

eggs

blackberries

To make the filling, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, Next, add the oil, vanilla paste, maple syrup and ground almonds to the eggs and combine.

Pour the mixture onto the pastry case and scatter the blackberries evenly over the tart surface.

Bake at 170 degrees C fan oven for around 30 minutes, until set, is firm to the touch and golden on top.

Allow to cool before removing it from the tart tin and serve warm or at room temperature.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

NOTES

This tart can be served warm or cold.

Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a good quality, creamy, vanilla ice-cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.