From creamy broccoli salads, hearty salsas and dips, grilled vegetables, smoked meats and fish, all the way down to colorful fruit salads and tarts for dessert, it's my favorite way to spend a warm day. 95% of the time, you will always find this fruit dish planted in the middle of that deliciously-filled picnic table.
To me, there is nothing better than a picnic table filled with beautifully colored food and the company of great friends. And, with the way life is going right now, this Spring and Summer is going to be packed with incredible amounts of both.
Berry Tart Bars
1/2 cup Earth Balance (or just butter), room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup preserves of your choice
1 - 1 1/2 full cups of chopped fruit
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Then add your egg yolk. Slowly add your flour mixture to the wet mixture, stirring until fully combined. (** here I normally start to use my hands. You don't want the mixture to be too soft or too wet that it turns into a ball or cookie dough-like. This dough should look a bit crumbly, like cornmeal, in order for the "tart-like" crust to develop. **) Press 3/4 of your dough mixture into the baking dish.
In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup preserves to loosen up. Spread on top of the dough in baking dish, leaving about 1/4 - 1/8 inch room from edges. Cover the entire top of your dough with chopped fruit of your choice, in this case Strawberries and Blueberries. Sprinkle the remaining amount of dough on top of your fruit.
Place in the oven and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a lightly gold brown.
Serve with ice cream on a warm Spring day.
