Strawberries & Cream Oatmeal Breakfast Tart with Blueberry Sauce

Here's a fun fact for everyone: I have never made a tart. I guess you could say I bake less and cook more. But, I am also a sucker for your not-so-healthy sweet breakfast and may or may not choose pie or cupcakes when they are available. THEY JUST GO SO WELL WITH COFFEE, OKAY?

But, I also like to be healthy, and those two likes don't really go together. So, what does this not-so-baker do? I set off to make a sorta-baked, sweet but healthy breakfast tart!

It's the season of berries! A perfect opportunity to play around with sweet but healthy options for your breakfast!

I discovered a berry tart on the Cilantropist's blog and decided to use that recipe as a base with the healthy breakfast option of oatmeal in mind. I wanted to combine the two ideas to come up with a tart that would be more like oatmeal but would still feel like I was eating pie!

Had I been on my A-game, these colors would have been perfect for the 4th, but I think I am still on my B-game from those Franks & Beans.

Well, you could always have an Independence Day movie brunch and serve this. Yeah, that would work.

Strawberries & Cream Oatmeal Breakfast Tart with Blueberry Sauce

serves 8 | prep time: 30 min | cook time: 30 min | chill time: 2 hrs
(Adapted from Cilantropist's Red, White & Blueberry Tart recipe)

Oat Crust
(Crust adapted from StressFreeCooking's Oat & Walnut Crust recipe)

• 1 ¹/₄ cups old fashioned rolled oats
• ¹/₄ cup wheat flour
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tablespoons honey

Strawberry Filling
(makes 1 cup)

• ³/₄ cup hulled and quartered strawberries
• 1 ¹/₂ cups hulled and chopped strawberries
• Juice of ¹/₂ lemon
• ¹/₄ cup sugar
• ¹/₂ tablespoon cointreau or other orange liqueur (optional)

Blueberry Sauce

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¹/₂ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cream Filling

• 1 8-oz package low fat cream cheese, room temperature
• ³/₄ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
• Juice of ¹/₂ lemon
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¹/₂ teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional

• 7-10 strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced lengthwise
• Extra blueberries & strawberries for topping

Let's begin!!

To make the oat crust:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Place the oats and flour in a food processor. Pulse to combine, chopping up the oats a bit.
Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form.

Add the honey and pulse until the mixture starts to ball up in a dough-like consistency.

Very gently, press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a buttered 9-inch pie or tart pan, pressing the edges flat and to an even height. 

(I learned this the second time around, hence why some of the photos don't show it this way.) 

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden. Cool completely (it will firm up).

Strawberry Filling:

In a small saucepan, combine the quartered and chopped strawberries and lemon juice. 

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat slightly to maintain a simmer but not to burn the berries. Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Skim off any extra foam that rises to the surface.

The berries will begin to break down and will start to thicken. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring often.

Test the strawberry filling by stirring with a wooden spoon. If it has started to “gel” like preserves and coats the back of the spoon, it is ready. Remove the strawberry filling from the heat.

If you like, stir in some orange liqueur to add some depth. Cool to room temperature.

Blueberry Sauce:

In the same saucepan (being sure to scrape down any strawberry filling left on the sides, or it will burn), combine the blueberries and sugar. Add ¼ cup water and the lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened. 

Cool to room temperature. This will thicken the sauce more.

Cream Filling:

Place a paper towel in a mesh strainer and pour the vanilla yogurt into the towel. Let rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the yogurt to thicken and become a nice consistency for the filling.

In a medium bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese. Beat until it becomes smooth, with a frosting consistency. 

Add the strained yogurt, lemon, honey and vanilla, and continue to beat until the cream mixture is evenly combined and silky.

To Assemble:

Place the sliced, uncooked strawberries in a single layer on the bottom of the crust (eat the leftovers). 

Pour about ¹/₂ - ³/₄ cup of the strawberry filling over the sliced strawberries, spreading to fill in the empty spaces. You will most likely have leftover and just fyi- it is delicious over vanilla ice cream or on toast.

Now, spoon the cream filling over the top. Use a rubber spatula to spread it over the strawberries, filling the entire crust.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

...At least, try to wait that long.

When you are ready to serve, top with the blueberry sauce and extra fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Good morning!