A few days ago, I thought it was finally time to open some jars of jam prepared last year and start using up my winter stock! So I decided to begin by making a gluten-free tart that could surprise and delight a friend of mine who is unfortunately intolerant! Actually, events then prevented me from enjoying this tart with her as I would have liked! I already imagined having a chat over a steaming and aromatic cup of infusion, as per tradition, but in the end, I ended up consuming it for breakfast with cappuccino. I must say I had wanted it for a long time and it was therefore a really pleasant treat! The shortcrust pastry at the base of this dessert is made with a mix of gluten-free flours and an aromatic note given by the toasted hazelnuts that are ground together with sugar and then added to the mixture. For the filling, I used my apple and muscovado sugar jam, with a slight note of ginger. For those who don’t know, muscovado sugar is a type of dark, unrefined cane sugar with a percentage of molasses added, which gives it its characteristic flavor. Obviously, it’s hard to find this jam on the market, as it was my experiment, which I would say worked out well! You can use whatever jam you prefer, it will be fine anyway. I then garnished with almond flakes and some white grapes to create a chromatic and gustatory contrast that literally conquered us!
You can find more healthy and tasty breakfast tarts here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: mold Ø 10 inches
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
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- 3/4 cup universal flour (gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (maizena)
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup butter (very cold)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon lime zest (untreated)
- 1 pinch salt
- 3/4 cup apple and muscovado sugar jam (or other preferred jam)
- 1/2 cup white grapes (approx. 8 grapes)
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- as needed agave syrup (for brushing)
Tools
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Terrina
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Fork
- 2 Baking paper
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Brush
- 1 Tart pan
- 1 Cookie cutter
Steps
Start by transferring the already toasted hazelnuts into a mixer along with the brown sugar (fig. 1).
Blend in short bursts and a few seconds at a time until the hazelnuts are reduced to crumbs* (fig. 2).
In a bowl, mix the previously sifted flours with the lime zest (fig. 3).
Make a well in the center and place the cold butter cut into cubes (fig. 4).
Rub it with flour until you get a crumbly mixture (fig. 5).
Add a pinch of salt and mix with a wooden spoon (fig. 6).
At this point, also add the ground hazelnuts, mixing all the ingredients well (fig. 7).
Add the egg and quickly beat with a fork (fig. 8).
Knead quickly in the bowl, adding, if necessary, a little cold water (fig. 9).
When it starts to come together, transfer the dough to the work surface and work it for a few more seconds until it becomes a smooth and homogeneous dough (fig. 10).
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30′. After this time, roll out 3/4 of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper** creating a not too thin disc slightly wider than the diameter of your mold (fig. 11).
Remove the top sheet and transfer the disc onto the mold directly with the parchment paper underneath. Gently press the edges (fig. 12).
Spread the jam on the bottom using the back of a spoon (fig. 13).
Garnish with the grapes previously halved and seeded (fig. 14).
Complete with almond flakes (fig. 15).
Brush the grapes with some agave syrup and place in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35′ (fig. 16).
Meanwhile, take the remaining dough, roll it out in the same way, and with the help of cookie cutters, cut out your shapes to decorate the tart later*** (fig. 17).
After the baking time, remove your tart from the oven and let it cool, while you bake the cookies for 12′-13′ at the same 350°F (fig. 18).
Decorate with your shapes before serving.
And voilà… the gluten-free hazelnut tart is ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the gluten-free hazelnut tart at room temperature inside a glass dome or a cupboard cake container for up to 3 days.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🔵 * Hazelnuts, like the rest of the nuts, are rich in fats and therefore become oily once crushed. The sugar added to the grinder helps absorb this oily component, but I still recommend grinding for a few seconds at a time until you get a powder.
🔵** Being gluten-free, the shortcrust will always be rather fragile, which is why I recommend using parchment paper, so you don’t have to use additional flour.
🔵*** The choice to make the tart decorations at a later time is due to the different cooking times. A few minutes for the shapes against 35′ of cooking for the tart. It’s an optional method that offers the possibility of obtaining more uniform cooking, but nothing prevents you from adding them before baking the tart. In this case, keep an eye on the tart and add a sheet of parchment paper for the last 10′ of baking, especially if the surface should darken too much.
