Yes, I’ll admit it – I cheated on my “no sugar diet”.  In my defense, I really was quite cognizant of that fact that I was “cheating”… as I indulged in my petit tarte aux fraises. Lost in the moment, it really didn’t feel like deception! I was quite blissfully engaged in savoring the moment.  It  felt well-earned by what seemed like an eternity of abstinence (although it was only a few days;)

In my books, it’s not really deception at all.  I believe that those clandestine people  who actually cheat are the ones who sneak into the pantry late at night (or any time of the day for that matter), sneakily remove said, “treat” and then bolt it down without being caught in the act.

I could also argue that one could conceivably cheat and be completely unaware of the fact that they’ve done so.  Case in point “Are all the cookies done?  I could have sworn there was a whole package this morning.”  Clearly, this is just a case of “diminished capacity” or some such thing…not “cheating”?

Abstinence can be a good thing… when you are done being abstinent. It seems to bring about a sort of “reset” of the palate and ergo, one’s ability to discern flavors becomes so much more intensely satisfying.  I suggest you try it.

Who better to cheat with than….perhaps a little tart?

Adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Macaroon Tart

Macaroon Strawberry Tart

Macaroon Strawberry Tart

 

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• ¾ cup natural cane sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• ½ cup natural cane sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 225 g fresh strawberries, halved/quartered
• (or cherries, blueberries)
• 1/3 cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter 6 small tart pans and one extra tart pan for remaining crust (approx 9×9”, in a pinch you can use a springform pan). Line with parchment paper.
3. To make the crust, combine flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter and mix until dough is crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of all pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove and let cool.
4. In the meantime, prepare the coconut macaroon filling by combining the coconut, sugar and egg whites. Mix well until well combined.
5. Sprinkle berries evenly over the baked tart crust base. Sprinkle macaroon topping over berries, gently pressing in but leaving some berries exposed.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until macaroon topping is golden brown and berries have softened slightly. Cool and garnish with chopped pistachio nuts before slicing into small squares.
7. * These tarts do not keep well (top gets soggy) so try to bake and serve the same day.

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