I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! Ours was spent working, blogging, and getting things done around the house, but we made plenty of time to enjoy this tart. We might have actually enjoyed it on four separate occasions in two days time. I’ve concluded that this happened because the tart’s target-like design threw us into a deep trance. One slice is never enough, you must eat more tart. You must eat all of the tart. In all seriousness, this tart is incredibly tasty and deserves your attention for not just one but two or three slices. Three’s a charm in life and in tart consumption.
This tart is both delectable and packed to its crinkled edges with nutrients and good-for-you ingredients. The crust is made from a combination of raw almonds, dates, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which creates an ultra-gooey, dense, and delicious tart base that elegantly nuzzles each topping layer within its nutty embrace. The crust is then topped with a banana-cashew cream that adds a sweet richness to balance and tame the acidity from the fruits. The next layer is a kiwi-blueberry glaze that is spread over the banana-cashew cream to add a lovely brightness. The final touch is a symmetrical arrangement of kiwis and blueberries, which adds eye-appeal and a dash of glam. Despite having multiple steps and layers, this tart is actually super simple to make, and I promise it will be worth all that methodical berry placement!
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2 1/2 cups pitted medjool dates, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- 1 vanilla bean, caviar removed
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 6 kiwis, peeled and divided
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, divided
- Add the raw almonds, 2 cups medjool dates, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla bean caviar, and a pinch of nutmeg to a food processor. Pulse 8-10 times and then let everything process into a fine meal for 3-5 minutes. Add in the tablespoon of water and continue to process for another minute or until the mixture rolls in a ball within the food processor.
- Line the bottom of a 10-inch round tart pan with parchment paper (I usually trace the tart pan insert and then cut the parchment paper out).
- Dump the crust mixture into the tart pan and press into the pan and up the sides. Be patient with this step as it will take several minutes to get it spread evenly and pressed into the pan. If the mixture is too sticky, dip your fingers in water to repel the mixture as you're pressing it into the pan.
- Place the tart pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to let the crust set (the crust can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the freezer).
- While the crust is chilling, soak 1 cup of raw cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Drain.
- Add the cashews, banana, 3 pitted dates, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the food processor. Process for 5-7 minutes or until completely smooth.
- Pour the banana-cashew cream into the tart shell and place in freezer for 10 minutes to set.
- While the cashew cream is setting, add 2 kiwis, 1/2 cup of blueberries, and 4 pitted dates to a blender. Blend until a smooth glaze forms (approximately 2 minutes).
- Pour blueberry-kiwi glaze over the banana-cashew cream and carefully spread across surface.
- Thinly slice 4 kiwis. Add kiwis and 1 cup blueberries to a bowl and toss in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Arrange the blueberries and kiwis in circles working your way inward from the outer edge of the tart.
- Refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes to set before slicing. Slice with a sharp knife, serve, and enjoy.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
That is a beautiful dessert…can’t wait to make it!
Thank you!!!
These are stunning photos. Great work!!
Thank you for the sweet compliment, Nicole!
This is simply gorgeous! Not to mention mouth watering yummy looking. Thanks for posting. Can’t wait to try this.
Kathleen
This tart is stunning! I love that it’s completely raw :)
I thought so too, as did others who enjoyed the tart. I would not freeze the tart after initial freeze. Added to much water when brought to room temp, would refrigerate. Wonderful, yummy, healthy desert!!
This is so beautiful! I can’t stop staring at all your pictures! I’m guessing that mine won’t look nearly was gorgeous as yours, but I’ll have to give it a try.
Such sweet words — thank you so much! I promise it looks trickier than it actually is. If you spend 10 minutes layering the fruit, yours will look the same. Just takes a little time and patience :) I hope you enjoy it!
I saw how amazing this looked and couldn’t believe it was made with all raw ingredients. It sounded too good to be true. I decided to try it out and I’m glad I did. It tastes absolutely amazing! It’s a great dessert you don’t have to feel guilty about making. This recipe is definitely becoming a regular in my house. Thanks so much for sharing it!
I’m so glad you made AND enjoyed the tart! Thanks so much for commenting, Lizzy!
The dates broke my Vitamix as I was making the crust! Argh! What did I do wrong?!
Hi Liz, I’m so, so sorry to hear that! Did you pit the dates? If the pits were left in, they could cause a serious problem with your food processor (not to mention really mess up the crust). That’s the only thing I can think of that would cause a problem. The crust should process very easily in a food processor.
Goodness!!!
Just saw a picture of this xake on pinterest and immediately thought I’d have to check what other recipes you do. I’m speechles, they all look super good.
Going straight to my bookmarks girl ;-)
Hi Elisa! Thanks so much for the sweet compliments!! I’m so glad Pinterest pushed you over in this direction, and I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes and food adventures :)
What to make that’s green and blue for a Seahawks-themed party tomorrow? Found your tart and it looks gorgeous. Can’t wait to dig in. Go Hawks!
Hi, Pat! I hope you enjoyed the tart! Haha, it really is the perfect dessert for a Seahawks-themed party — too funny! My husband has always been a Jets fan but he’s recently developed an affinity for the Seahawks which has made me a fan too. So, go Hawks!
I love this kiwi blueberry tart! I will be making this soon and for Easter! I hate baking, so this is perfect. Where do you find vanilla bean caviar? On a side note, Inlove your blog format and recipe set up is is a widget or pulug-in? You photos are lovely too!
Hi, Megan! I’m so glad you’re going to give this tart recipe a try! Vanilla bean caviar or seeds are scraped from the inside of a whole vanilla bean. I usually cut the bean lengthwise and use the back of a small paring knife to scrape the beans out of the pod. I hope this helps!
I’m glad you like the blog format and photos! Thank you for your sweet words! The recipe setup is a plugin called “Easy Recipe” — there is a free version and a premium version (I believe this one costs $30). The free version is great but the premium version allows you to create subheaders within the ingredients and instructions (e.g., “To Make the Crust”) and include links to other posts/recipes, so I upgraded to that version after a few months of having the free one. There are also several formats you can choose from to customize it, which is so helpful!
Love this!! It looks soooo delicious :)
This looks delicious and reminds me of spring!
Thanks so much, Jillian!
Wow what a great summer and spring treat! Love the fruit tarts! So refreshing!
Thanks so much, Nicole!
This tart is jaw-dropping beautiful! And I bet that the only thing better than its look is its taste! It’s moving to the top of my to-make list <3
Thanks, Stacey! I promise that the tedious kiwi and blueberry layering will repay you upon first bite. Enjoy!
Amazing recipe!
Thanks, Mason!
This is beautiful. Looks delicious!
Thanks, Marsha!
I’m halfway through making this and am having a lot of trouble. My brand new Cuisinart bowl is sized so that the crust ingredients just fling on the side. What make/model/capacity did you make yours in? I had to scrape down the sides of the bowl in excess of 60 times. Very arduous.
Then came the nut and banana cream. It also is so thick that it flings away from the blades. I decided to go with the drink/smoothie attachment just so I could get a smaller container in hopes that it would keep more ingredient near the blades. I had to repeatedly take the machine apart to get the ingredients back near the blades. When it finally was smooth and soft enough to stay near the blades, I let it run for about 1 minute and a half but the machine and the ingredients had generated so much heat that the top blew off the Cuisinart and blew the cashew/banana mixture all over my kitchen.
I’m 50 years old, a very experienced cook, and have a tremendous track record in the kitchen. I have a vast cookbook library, a very well-fitted kitchen and followed, adjusted, and created recipes for 35 years. This recipe is the worst disaster I’ve ever had (except for the celsius/fahrenheit conversion mistake I made 7 years ago.) I don’t know how many times you test your recipes before posting and to what degree you field test with friends on various equipment to make sure it works in the “global” kitchen, but I plead with you to do so. It’s such a shame to waste such valuable ingredients as these raw and organic products.
Thankfully, I can whip up a batch of homemade ice cream in the time I have left before dinner. I’ll be very, very cautious about trying your creations.
Please test more!?
I got a very sweet and concerned email from Ashley Melillo. It would seem I have a larger food processor bowl than she, which might account for some of the issue. I can only guess that moisture content in the fruit and nuts might be an issue as I don’t know what consistency I was aiming for. Having my ego tempered by scrubbing nut and banana off my ceiling, I’ll proceed more cautiously when I make this again (I won’t be beaten) and might run things through a food mill, first.
Tarts are hands down my favorite sweet! I can’t wait to make these!
I want to make this tart a day or two in advance. Should I just store it in the freezer or is it better fresh?
Hi, Kaity! It’s definitely best fresh, but you could prepare the crust in advance and then make the rest of the layers the day of serving.
love it thank you
I made this tart last night and it was terrific! I love that it is made with such healthful ingredients and that I was able to use my kiwi and blueberries from my CSA box to make it that much better! I will be posting about it on my blog and will link back to you. Thanks for sharing the recipe – you inspired me.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and were inspired by it, Kathleen! And what perfect timing that you were able to use your CSA box goodies. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! :)
Made it yesterday. Lots of work. But it turned out it tastes as delicious as it looks beautiful.