Raspberry Almond Crumb Tart

Things I miss most when summer ends:

• The smell of rain on hot cement streets 
• Fireflies
• Daylight that lasts until 9pm
• When cole slaw and baked beans become one on your paper plate
• Sleeping with just a sheet
• Peaches so juicy you have to eat them over the sink
• Coconut scented sunscreen
• The smell of burning charcoal at all hours of the day
• A pocketbook full of sand
• Reaching my head deep into a jungle of string bean plants to search for camouflaged beans
• Tan lines
• Corn on the cob
• Cotton dresses
• Chlorine bleached hair
• Baskets of berries
• Waking up to the sound of cicadas and going to sleep with the sound of crickets

There are 20 days of summer left. Soak them up. Eat and cook as much as you can.

The good news is this recipe is on the healthy side. The crust is made with almonds and the filling is pretty much pure raspberries in all their glory with just a touch of sugar. This recipe is not hard, but it has a few steps so read it carefully.

Taken From EatingWell Magazine:  July/August 2007

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, (skins on)
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries
• 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray.

1. Combine almonds and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the almonds are finely ground and incorporated with the sugar. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture.
2. Add 1 1/3 cups flour and salt to the remaining sugar mixture and pulse briefly to blend. With the motor running, add butter a few pieces at a time until well incorporated.
3. Stir egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts together in a small bowl until blended. With the motor running, add to the processor and pulse until the mixture begins to clump and form a dough, about 1 minute (the mixture will look like crumbly sand). Set aside 1/3 cup of the mixture for the topping.
4. Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared tart pan; spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.
5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour to the reserved almond mixture; stir to blend. Gently toss raspberries with 2 tablespoons of this mixture in a medium bowl until coated. Spread the berries evenly in the tart pan. Sprinkle the remaining almond mixture over the berries. Pinch the reserved dough into small clumps to make crumbs and sprinkle the crumbs on top of the berries.
6. Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and bake until the crust and crumbs are golden brown, about 45 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Remove the pan sides; place confectioners’ sugar in a fine sieve and dust the tart just before serving.

Nutrition Per serving: 276 calories; 12 g fat ( 6 g sat , 2 g mono ); 48 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 6 g fiber; 148 mg sodium; 168 mg potassium.