Blueberry-Blackberry Tarts

Jamie loves blackberries, and when he had all of his friends over to do his football draft (taking over our living room/TV) I needed an activity. We had this great tart pan that I still hadn't had a chance to use, so I thought it was a perfect time to try a tart. Yum! It was really great. Super fresh and summery, and the crust is incredible. You have to make it yourself instead of buying premade pie crust because the tart crust is different than pie crust. It's more like shortbread. It's a little tougher to work with, but it's so tasty. Jamie brought some to work and it was gone within half an hour. It's a bit of a labor of love, but well worth it. It's not too sweet and really concentrates the berry flavor.

Ingredients:
Crust
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled

Tart
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large egg plus 1 large white
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest, plus 1 1/2 tsp juice
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp heavy cream
12 oz (or more) mix of blueberries and blackberries

Tomato, Chard, and Goat Cheese Tart

I was drooling over this recipe on the Times and couldn't wait to try it with my tomatoes. Due to time restraints and some fresh swiss chard I had, I switched it up a little by adding sauteed swiss chard and onion and doing it in a frozen pie crust I had in my freezer. While I'm sure it tastes better with the olive oil pastry, this was pretty delicious. Served it with a salad full of more tomatoes. It was great and light, and I love the combination of savory tarts and salads in the summer.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped, stems and leaves separated
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
olive oil
frozen pie crust

Polenta tart with goat cheese, shallots, and tomatoes

I had some fabulous polenta at L'Artusi the other night and have been craving it since. I wanted to try something new, though, and thought a tart with polenta instead of a regular pie crust could be fun. I went to the farmer's market and picked up some really good salad greens, some hot house tomatoes, some shallots, and some fresh goat cheese. It was a pretty simple dinner, and would be great for a lunch, too. Really yummy! I want to try this again when more veggies are in season. Maybe fill it thickly with roasted vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. That would be great! The goat cheese was gooey and fab. Wish I could remember the vendor at Union Square market!

Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 small beef steak tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup polenta
2 cups milk
1 cup water
salt and pepper
butter
1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre style)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1/4 cup grated Pecorino or Parm