Berry Tart With Honey – Yogurt Filling

Here’s a perfect red, white and blue dessert for 4th of July weekend, adapted from the Washington Post!. I rarely bake, so on the few occasions I’ve needed a graham cracker crust, I’ve always grabbed Keebler right off the supermarket shelf. Well, the crust in this recipe takes about 5 minutes to prep and is delicious! Well worth the time! It’s very moist (especially since I purposely minimized the baking time) and barely fills the pie dish, so no extra calories around the edges. And the yogurt keeps it even moister – for the one day that it lasted!

The yogurt should be strained in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. However, I only let it sit for 2 hours and it was fine. Next time, I’m going to try using Siggi’s Icelandic style yogurt (Skyr – at Whole Foods), which is very thick and creamy to begin with, and see if it needs to be strained at all. I also might add a bit more lemon zest, since I liked the bites that carried that taste. Once assembled, the tart should set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or up to a day, before serving. This dessert is not that sweet, but is somewhat addictive!

When comparing yogurts, watch out for this issue: the flavored ones come in 5.3 ounce servings, and have lots of sugar. If you buy the large 32 ounce plain yogurts, the ‘serving size’ is 8 ounces, each having much more protein (23 grams in Siggi’s 0% plain) and MUCH less sugar than the small fruity containers. Choose wisely. If you buy the large plain yogurts, you can put a swirl of honey, real fruit without added sugar, and have a much healthier and filling meal or snack. Plus you’ll be wasting less plastic. Siggi’s even comes with a paper wrap so it’s recyclable.

Tested size: 8 servings (3-4 in my house)

Ingredients:

2 cups plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt
9 rectangular graham cracker sheets (4.8 ounces total)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 large strawberries, quartered, or 8 small strawberries, halved
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup raspberries

Directions:

1. Line a fine-mesh strainer with paper towels and set the strainer over a bowl. Place the yogurt on top of the paper towel in the strainer; transfer to the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Transfer the thickened yogurt to a bowl, and discard the liquid that has drained off. (See headnote for shortcut).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to the consistency of fine crumbs. The yield should be about 1 1/3 cups. Add the butter, salt and water; pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
4. Grease a 9-inch round pie dish (not deep-dish) or 8-inch tart pan with cooking oil spray. Use your fingers to press the crumb mixture into a pie plate or tart pan, including a bit up the sides. Bake until browned, 6 – 8 minutes. Keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t burn. The baked crust might have cracks in it; that’s okay. Let it cool completely.
5. Add the honey and lemon zest to the yogurt, stirring to incorporate. Transfer the yogurt mixture to the crust, spreading it gently with a spatula so as not to break up the crust or drag crumbs.
6. Arrange the berries on top of the yogurt filling. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day in advance.