Lemon Ricotta Tart with Walnut Ginger Snap Crust and Wild Blueberries {gluten and sugar free}

Lemon plays a star role in complementing these Wild Blueberries. This rustic tart will be the star to any main dish you serve.

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Sometimes it really pays to be a food blogger. Not necessarily in the monetary sense, which would be nice too but in the sense that I get introduced to all kinds of knew ingredients and foods. I've always looooved  berries, especially blueberries (to be honest, black berries are my fav). The only time I've experienced actual 'wild berries' was once in Sedona, Az. when I was in my early 20's and we went blackberry picking along the Creek. Heaven.

We were armed with small, plastic buckets and wore cotton tank tops and simple shorts and our feet adorned very stylish Teva sandals {it was the 90's}. We parked our jeep along the side of the road, a suicide mission by any standards seeing as that the very narrow and curvy scenic Route 89a has no shoulder to speak of and the tourists are whizzing around the blind bends of the 2 way road trying to catch a peek at beautiful Oak Creek. 

Scuffling down the steep ravine we made our way into the cool shade of the trees along Oak Creek. Wading through the shallow, cool water we made our way to the other side where we were told wild berries awaited us. We picked to our content. The plump, warm berries from the bush and put almost as many in our buckets as we did our mouths. The sound of the creek to our backs and the sun on our shoulders.

I've gone and gotten off course again. Memories. Now I must get back up to Sedona for another spontaneous road trip. It's less than 2 hours from our home in Phoenix! Lucky ducks. My point and I do have one {will be written on my gravestone} is that my exposure to wild berries is limited and in the past. Now that I know how accessible wild blueberries are, I'm one very happy girl. 

{side note, I easily found my Wild Blueberries at my local Sprouts in the freezer section.}

image courtesy Sedona Pictures

image courtesy The Greening of Sedona

So I've told you how special wild berries are to me. Nothing compares. I cringe at the thought of how far most grocery store berries have traveled. In the words of Barbara Kingsolver, probably "further than most of us will ever travel on vacation in our lives". Where's the freshness in that?

Go Wild Blueberries!

All blueberries are not alike! Wild Blueberries are the little ones that grow naturally in the fields and barrens of Maine, eastern Canada and Quebec.

One of North America’s native berries, Wild Blueberries are lowbush varieties that are never planted and are harvested commercially only in this special place.

Wild Blueberries have not been modified or meddled with by man to make them larger or easier to ship – they are the same berry that existed over 10,000 years ago. Mother Nature’s original blueberry.

Wild Blueberries have advantages over the larger cultivated blueberries, including:

• Intense flavor & color

• More berries per pound

• Less water, so they freeze better and perform better in baking

• Higher concentration of beneficial phytochemicals, making them a more powerful ally against disease

• Wild = more protective phytochemicals in every serving

• Wild Blueberries are leaders in antioxidant capacity; They are rich in anthocyanin, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may help prevent chronic diseases

• Anthocyanin is a flavonoid found in the deep blue pigments of Wild Blueberries, giving them their color and their antioxidant power. We call it the “The Power of Wild Blue”

Wild Blueberries are the subject of hundreds of research studies looking at potential benefits to humans including:

• Brain health
• Anti-aging
• Heart health
• Diabetes prevention
• Cancer prevention
• Reducing oxidative stress
• Preventing UTIs
• Eye health
• Most Wild Blueberries are frozen at harvest, locking in their intense blueberry flavor and antioxidant power
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries are just as nutritious as fresh and may even retain their nutritional value longer
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries are available year-round; they can be used right out of the freezer – no thawing required
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries make it easy to get your “Daily Dose of Wild Blue”
• Frozen Wild Blueberries are an excellent value, they offer consistent quality, ease of use, high antioxidant content, health benefits, less spoilage, affordability.

Lemon Ricotta Tart with Walnut Ginger Snap Crust and Wild Blueberries

Gluten Free + Sugar Free = Guilt Free

For the Crust 

3/4 cup walnuts 

1 cup gluten free ginger snap cookies  (regular will do) 

1 large egg white 

1 tablespoon butter, melted 

2 teaspoons canola oil 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Coarsely chop walnuts in a food processor. Add ginger snap cookies and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like crumbs. Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the crumb mixture, butter, oil and salt; stir to combine. 

Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and slightly darker around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.  

notes: If using an 11" tart pan more commonly used for frittatas like I have, you will need to make 1.5x the recipe and increase the baking time on the crust by 5-7 minutes and increase the cooking time on the finished tart (with the custard) by approximately 12-15 minutes.



For the Filling 

2 cups part skim ricotta 

1 cup Monk Fruit in the Raw *see notes (or Turbinado/Raw Organic sugar) 

zest from 2 lemons (about 3 tablespoons) 

4 large eggs (Free range 

Juice from 2 large lemons (about 3/4 cup) 

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 

pinch of salt 

1 cup Wild Blueberries

Preheat oven to 400F.  

Using a stand or electric mixer with paddle, beat ricotta on medium speed until softened and fluffy. Gradually beat in Monk Fruit in the Raw (or Turbinado sugar) until light and fluffy. Add lemon rind then eggs, one at a time, to prevent curdling. Add a pinch of salt, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. 

Pour mixture into walnut crust and bake for 15 minutes at 400F. Reduce heat to 380F  and bake for another 35 minutes, until the custard is slightly firm and does not jiggle.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. 

Simply sprinkle thawed Wild Blueberries over the top of the custard, slice and serve warm.

notes: A warm sauce would be amazing drizzled over this custard. Simply combine Wild blueberries, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons honey in a sauce pot and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring till thick and bubbly. What is Monk Fruit?  

Where can you find Monk Fruit in the Raw? It's a very new product so unless you live on the East coast you will probably have to order it on line. If you do, please help support Simply Healthy Family by ordering it from our Amazon store here.

Ricotta filling recipe adapted from ninemsn