This healthy wild blueberry cheesecake tart makes a perfect sweet snack for those looking to increase their intake of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It provides a light, refreshing, and cheesy flavor. The texture is crispy and smooth.
The crust requires a mix of regular flour and oat flour. Oat flour adds nutrients, while regular flour holds the dough together, making it easier to work with. If you’d rather make the entire crust gluten free, check out this tart recipe which uses 100% oat flour.
For the cheesy filling you will need ricotta cheese. I find it to be thicker and easier to work with than cream cheese, and once baked, it tastes better in my opinion. You also need lemon juice and lavender to flavor the cheese. If you cannot find culinary lavender in the baking isle of your store, look for it online.
To top the cheese filling need wild blueberries (or bilberries if you’re in Europe). I know they can be difficult to find fresh ones in North America. When I made this recipe I used frozen wild blueberries that I found in the organic freezer section at Walmart. I let them thaw in a strainer over a bowl to remove excess liquid (the juice is delicious, make sure to drink it). Since you bake the tart, the texture of the fruit doesn’t matter too much. Baking will soften them anyways.
If you’d rather use other fruits with this recipe, you may try regular blueberries, grapes (cut them in halves), cherries, or apricots. However I really recommend you stick to wild blueberries if possible because they offer a very strong, fruity flavor.
Once the tart is done, you may sprinkle some icing sugar if you find it looking too plain.
As there is quite a bit of cheese in this recipe, I recommend you store this tart in the fridge. It keeps well for up to 5 days. If you must, you can also freeze it inside closed tupperware. Let it thaw covered to prevent the crust from drying, and eat it shortly after.
See more tart recipes here.
Here’s the recipe for the healthy wild blueberry cheesecake tart:
Healthy Wild Blueberry Cheesecake Tart
Ingredients
For the tart shell:
- ¾ cup (75 g/ 2 ½ oz.) oat flour
- ¾ cup (120 g/ 4 ¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ sticks (145 g/ 5 oz.) unsalted butter, cold and finely diced
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk, from a large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. water, ice-cold
- 2-3 tbsp. oat flour for dusting the work surface
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cup (360 g/ 12 ½ oz.) ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cup wild blueberries (bilberries)
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- ¼ stick unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 tbsp. culinary lavender, crushed
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Optional:
- icing sugar to decorate the tart
Instructions
For the tart shell:
- In a large bowl, place the all-purpose flour, oat flour, icing sugar, salt, and whisk them together.
- Add the cold butter cubes to the flour bowl. Rub the butter with the flour between your fingertips, until the dough reaches a crumbly consistency. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp. ice-cold water. Mix until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin to a circle of about 31 cm (12 inches) in diameter, then place it into a tart baking pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough lightly your fingertips against the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll the rolling pin across the top edge of the tart pan to cut off excess dough. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork, then cover the shell with plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
For the filling:
- Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. In the yolks bowl, add the ricotta cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lavender, and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Add the melted butter and mix it in.
- Beat the whites to a stiff peak. Fold them into the ricotta cheese mixture. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Remove the tart from the freezer, place plastic wrap over the dough and fill the shell with rice or beans (to keep the bottom flat). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the rice and bake for another 15 minutes. Take the tart out of the oven and fill the shell with cheese mixture. Place the wild blueberries/ bilberries on top of the cheese mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Once baked, allow to cool to room temperature in the baking pan.
Optional:
- Sprinkle icing sugar to decorate the tart.
