Berry good time…

4th of July weekend is FINALLY here and it is a berry good time to celebrate! Not only are we celebrating the 4th of July but lets also celebrate all the beautiful berries that are filling up all the produce areas of you local grocery stores and farmers markets.

Now we could make a simple strawberry shortcake or maybe some blueberry muffins, but I wanted to take it up a notch…how about a LEMON BERRY Tart?

Something Special…

Tarts have always been a favorite of mine. They just always seem to make something that could be ordinary something very special. Every time I go to a French bistro or dessert shop and they have tarts it is one of the first things I order.

I love the tender crust, the creamy filling and of course it is always topped with something AMAZING…like a berry trio!!

The crust is perfect…

I am a sucker for crust. Growing up my mom would make crust and cut it into strips and then bake it. It was always a favorite of mine. This tart crust is a perfect combo of a traditional pie crust and a shortbread. This combo gives it a great texture and taste that can hold the filling without breaking.

The trick for a perfect tart crust is to make sure and press it into the pan, into all the nooks. If you don’t can can shrink down and not look so pretty when you take it out of the pan. I also poke holes int the bottom of the crust to make sure it doesn’t puff up too much.

This crust is my go to tart crust….and using it as a base you can fill it with anything you want.

Perfect for the 4th of July…

The 4th of July is a big deal in my town. We always have BBQ’s, fireworks and tons of friends and family. Of course at the BBQ’s there is lots and lots of food, and my favorite always seems to be the desserts.

I will be making the Pudding Cookies I posted a few days ago but I will also be making this tart…you can never have too many desserts in my world. It really is a perfect dessert for the 4th as it is red, white & blue and OH SO GOOD!!

Just enough Lemon

I LOVE lemon. I could have lemon in anything and everything, but I know some people are not as big of a fan, so for this tart it has just a hint of lemon. It is just enough to make it feel lighter and more refreshing than a vanilla custard but not too tart that some won’t like it.

If you would like you can add in more lemon…which I know will be AMAZING!

If you wanted to leave the lemon out you could, and make it a vanilla filling…or add in lime, or orange…the possibilities are endless.

All you need to make it…

[mpprecipe-recipe:183]

Not just for the 4th…

This tart is not just for the 4th of July. As I mentioned above you can fill the crust with a variety of fillings and top it with whatever you like. A chocolate filling with fresh whipped cream, or a key lime filling, vanilla filling with candy bar crumbles or a cookie crumble.. Truly, the possibilities are endless.

Whenever you decide to make this tart, just make sure to make it as soon as you can.