This easy-to-make tart is salty and sweet, with a toasted golden top and a rich custard filling. This recipe is adapted from the Salty Honey pie at Four and Twenty blackbirds, a dessert that graced my holiday table for many years. In lieu of pie dough, I am using a whole grain shortbread crust. The shell is baked straight from the freezer and the honey filling comes together in minutes. Play around with different whole grains. Here, I used buckwheat, it’s slightly bitter and nutty. Bees feed on buckwheat to make the darkest variety of honey, so I wanted to play around with those darker notes to balance the sweetness. I also love rye paired with honey, spelt too.
Notes:
Swap out the buckwheat for rye, spelt or more all purpose flour. You can also play around with proportions, keeping the flour total at 1.5 cups. More buckwheat will result in a darker whole grain crust.
You can also experiment with different varieties of honey. Wildflower, orange blossom or an infused honey like lavender- will all give this tart a different undertone.
The tart shell can be prepared, fitted into the tart mold and frozen in advanced
The tart will keep refrigerated for 4 days or at room temp for 2 days.
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Salty Honey Tart
Description
Adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Ingredients
Buckwheat tart shell
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced and cold
1 1/2 cup (150g) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (30g) buckwheat flour (or more all purpose)
1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp ice water
Salty Honey Filling
4 ounces (8 tablespoons, 115g) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup (133g) sugar
1 tablespoon white cornmeal or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
3/4 cup (252g) honey
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) heavy cream or sour cream
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
Prepare the tart crust
- Place the flours, powdered sugar, salt, and butter into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture forms a coarse meal, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add in the egg yolk and water. Pulse, until the mixture is just beginning to come together and form a soft ball around the base of the blade, 20 to 30 seconds more. Tip the dough out onto the work surface and use your hands to bring together into a uniform dough, forming into a disc and wrapping in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for about an hour before using.
- Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press into the base and into the edges, trimming off the excess dough. With a fork, prick it all over, to prevent the crust from puffing up as it bakes. Freeze for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt and vanilla. Stir in the honey and the eggs one at a time, followed by the heavy cream and vinegar.
- Place the frozen tart crust on a rimmed baking sheet and strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the tart shell. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating when the edges start to set, 30-35 minutes. The tart is ready when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with flake sea salt. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
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