One Crust Two Ways! Strawberry Basil Tarts + Tomato Ricotta Tart

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Today is a two-for-one! Using this one crust recipe you can decide to make sweet Strawberry Basil Tarts or a savory Tomato Ricotta Tart.  Or both!  And if you are gluten-sensitive, this is your lucky day.  Both delicious options are gluten-free.

As you may have noticed by now, I like to find ways to swap out white flour for more nourishing foods and this particular swap adds tons of flavor to the tarts.  The magic behind the recipe is the almond meal crust.  Because almonds are high in fat, they create a rich, buttery tasting crust and a more complex flavor than white flour.

Almonds are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.  Many people, especially dieters, stay away from high fat foods because they are high in calories and people think they led to weight gain.  On the contrary, healthy fats like the ones in almonds help prevent weight gain and promote healthy skin and hair.  Almonds are also high in Vitamin E, riboflavin, and trace minerals.  Another great thing about almonds is that they taste great sweet or savory, which is why I'm sharing with you one tart crust recipe two ways.

Strawberry Basil Tarts + Tomato Ricotta Tart

Note: These can be made into mini pies (about 8) in a muffin tin or as a whole tart in a tart or pie pan.  I made the sweet ones as mini pies and the savory as a whole pie, but the choice is yours.  The mini tarts bake for 20 minutes while the large tart bakes for 30.  Also, this recipe is for enough crust to make either the sweet or savory tarts.  To make both, double the crust recipe.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups almond flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine almond flour and salt in a large bowl and stir.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and coconut oil.

3. Add egg/oil mixture to the flour and stir.  Using your hands, knead mixture until dough is uniform.

4. Press dough into tart pan or muffin tin.  This dough will fall apart if you try to roll it out. Trust me.  So just press it into the pan to create a crust.

5. For the berry tarts: Divide the berry mixture amongst the muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool and pry out using a spoon.

For tomato tarts: Spread cheese evenly over the crust.  Spread tomatoes out on top.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Top with chopped scapes.  Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Berry Mixture:

1.5 cups sliced strawberries

2 tbsp coconut palm sugar

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1. Stir all ingredients together and set aside to allow flavors to combine.

Tomato Topping:

1 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes 

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

4 oz. sheep's milk ricotta

1 tbsp chopped scapes (if you can't find scapes try green onions or an herb of your choice)