Roasted Melon & Cherry Tart
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (from about 14 oz/397 g cookies) ginger snaps or graham cracker crumbs
10 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 lbs organic cantaloupe (or melon of choice), peeled and cubed
1 lbs organic cherries, pitted
1/4 cup organic granulated sugar, divided
pinch fine sea salt
4 T local organic honey
Zest & juice of (1) organic lime
Fresh organic whipped cream, for serving
*Optional fresh organic mint for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter to combine. The crumb mixture should hold together well when pressed into the pan. Press the crust evenly into a 9-inch tart pan (it works with either a circle or a square pan). Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes, or until it’s slightly golden brown and appears set. Cool completely.
Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Place the cantaloupe and cherries in two separate medium bowls. Sprinkle half the sugar and a little bit of salt over each fruit and toss gently to combine. Let macerate until the fruit appears juicy, 10-15 minutes.
Roast the cantaloupe until lightly caramelized at the edges, 20-25 minutes. Roast the cherries until just tender, 15-18 minutes on a separate baking sheet. Let each fruit mixture cool completely on their baking sheet.
Combine honey, lime zest and lime juice, drizzle honey mixture over each tray of roasted fruit, and give one or two gentle tosses to combine.
Arrange the fruit inside the cooled crust. If the fruit is super juicy, use a slotted spoon to drain the excess juice before putting into the crust. If the juice on the baking sheet is jammy in texture, scoop it right into the crust with the fruit.
The tart should be served relatively soon after assembly. Top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint.
Note - Depending on the combination of fruits and cookie type used, the crust can start to absorb moisture from the fruit after 2-3 hours and may eventually become soggy.
Note - Depending on the season you can combine any fruit combination you like.
