Saturday, May 23, 2015

Apple, Blue Cheese, and Honey Tart Recipe- Gluten Free, Egg Free, Paleo Friendly

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You know what's funny? In many ways I grew up in a "foodie" home, regularly eating food from various cultures across the globe- kichri and mulligatawny soup, fried rice, mujjadara, and sushi- these were staples in my home- what I consider "normal" is so different from others because of that- I thought I knew so much about different foods.
And yet there are some foods that I never even knew existed, let alone tasted, until I was an adult.
Tarts are one of them.
Ok, I had pies, and I had quiches, but never this open faced tart that I made. I just thought tart was something sour...

But anyhow, back to why I'm even saying this...

I wanted to make a dessert with cheese in it, a cheese cake of sorts. But I have a problem.
I can only eat aged cheeses.
My body can't tolerate regular dairy- not butter, not yogurt, not sour cream, not milk- but aged cheeses it does fine with. I can eat all the cheeses that are approved on the GAPS diet and not have a reaction (being aged makes them more digestible, and therefore don't cause a reaction)- which is awesome for my cheese loving self... but really hard when you want to make a dessert that is with cheese, because finding a gluten free, egg free dessert using aged cheeses that doesn't also require cream cheese or cream... was nearly impossible.

Then I did some googling and saw it suggested to try drizzling honey on aged cheeses, like blue cheese, to make them dessert-like. It sounded weird at first, but I gave it a try- and it was unbelievably amazing! Like cheesecake, almost, but better.

So I decided that my cheese based dessert would be a tart, with apple, blue cheese, and honey.

Lets just say- it was out of this world amazing. Everyone in my family enjoyed it tremendously. And it hit the spot.

I'd like to say that this recipe is Paleo diet legal, but I can't say that with 100% certainty, because the views on aged cheeses in the Paleo circle are mixed- some say yes, some say no. But at the very least- this recipe works for me, and is healthy- so that's all that matters to me in the end of the day.

While I used blue cheese for this recipe, feel free to use whatever sharp cheese appeals to you- whether goat cheese, feta cheese, parmesan, or even cheddar.

P.S. A friend of mine who saw I made this commented "Aren't aged cheese expensive in your part of the world?" So yes- they are. This isn't exactly the most frugal recipe. However, once in a while, I do believe it is ok to treat yourself to something somewhat more expensive. And it wasn't even super expensive- the cheese in this recipe cost less than $3, so really not such a splurge, since even a little bit of these cheeses goes a long way.

P.P.S. If you're dairy free, I'm sure you can make this with a vegan cheese, like almond feta, or Daiya cheddar.

Apple, Blue Cheese, and Honey Tart Recipe- Gluten Free, Egg Free, Paleo Friendly

Ingredients:
1 tart crust (this is the recipe I used to keep mine healthy, gluten free/Paleo, egg free, refined sugar free, and low work, but feel free to use any tart crust recipe that you like)
Approximately 150 grams or 5 1/4 oz blue cheese
6 large sweet apples (not Granny Smith!)
1/2 cup honey

Instructions:
1. Prepare your tart crust.

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2. Slice your apples thinly, and lay them out on your crust.

3. Crumble your blue (or other) cheese and sprinkle it on the apples, trying to make it as evenly distributed as possible.

4. Drizzle your honey all over, again making sure to keep it as evenly distributed as possible.

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5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the apples are soft.

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6. Let cool, cut into pieces, and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: Feel free to make this with pear or peach or nectarine slices instead of the apples. It'll all be good.

Have you ever made a dessert with aged cheeses? What type of dessert was it?
Does this look like a recipe that you'd try? How would you make it?

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