Who’d have thought I’d be in such turmoil about a tart base… I thought about a pastry base and I thought about a raw base… should the whole tart be raw or could I do a half and half? In the end I threw caution to the wind and created a raw base with a not so raw nectarine filling and this tart is beautifully sweet and delicious and moreish and all the other beautiful adjectives you can think of to describe yummy!

The base is great all on it’s own, if you’ve any left over just roll it into energy balls and pop in the freezer for a snack later on or just make a big batch of the base and put it into a square baking dish, again put it in the freezer and cut into squares and top it with some home made chocolate ice cream, this recipe is that versatile for a range of desserts.

But back to the actual nectarine tartlets. These were big juice nectarines, stunning in colour but still with a little firmness to them, which makes it easier for the slices on top if they’re not too mushy. The contrast of the poppy seeds sprinkled on top was juice a last minute idea, it gives a different texture to the tart too which is always a treat.

Can’t believe that Serena was knocked out of Wimbledon today 🙁

Sweet Nectarine Tartlets with Poppy Seed Sprinkles (vegan & gluten free)

MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range

Makes 6 Tartlets – Ready in 30 minutes

For the base

5 dates

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup walnuts

8 almonds

3/4 cup oats

1.5 tbsp maple syrup

Filling

1 large nectarine

1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cornstarch (mixed with 1/2 tbsp water)

Garnish

1/2 nectarine very finely sliced

1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

Method

1. Make the base by adding all the ingredients (apart from the maple syrup) to a food processor, or use a stick blender, and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together, mix through the maple syrup and then take 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture and press into your cases – I used 6 small shallow jam tart/mince pie cases (77mm diameter) – push the mixture up the sides and make a small well in the center for your filling. Pop these in the freezer while you make the filling.

2. For the filling – chop up your nectarine, add 1/2 tbsp water to a small sauce pan over a medium heat, add the chopped nectarine and the maple syrup and cook for 5 minutes until the fruit has softned, using a stick blender (or pop in the food processor) blitz the mixture until smooth then place back in the sauce pan, add the corn starch and stir until the mixture starts to thicken up. Turn off the heat.

3. Spoon the mixture into the center of your prepared tart bases and cool for 5 minutes before topping with the sliced nectarines and sprinkling of poppy seeds.

* Good to note that the base can go soft quite quickly, so serve with a spoon!