Blueberry Crumble Tart

If somebody said I had to pick between eating blueberry pie and apple pie for the rest of my life.  I’m going with blueberry hands down.  There’s nothing like the taste of sweet plump, juicy blueberries with the contrast of a crumb or flaky crust to get me excited.   To me blueberry pie is just as American as apple pie or maybe even more so since the blueberry is indigenous to North America.

The History of Blueberries

Blueberries and North America have a long history.  The Indigenous people of America were picking blueberries for centuries before the Europeans came over to settle on their land.  Blueberries were used in many ways by the indigenous people.  They were picked and eaten fresh and preserved during the winter months.  Blueberries were also used for medicinal applications like cough syrup.  Blueberries were also used to dye cloths and baskets.   And dried berries were used to flavor soups and stews.

However the wild blueberry the indigenous people were using is somewhat different from the blueberry now.  Back then wild blueberries grew on low bushes and were smaller in size.  Since domestication the blueberry size, color and yield amount have changed.   They’ve been cultivated to grow on high bushes.  Even with all the cultivating of the blueberry, the wild blueberry is still more favorable and nutritious than the cultivated variety.

Blueberries and Nutrition

Blueberries are an excellent source of antioxidants.  They provide vitamin C, manganese, vitamin K1 and small amounts of copper, vitamin E and vitamin B6.  Eating blueberries helps to reduce oxidative stress which effects the aging process (1).  Also eating blueberries are known to increase brain health due to the flavonoids in the berries (2).

The Recipe

I was inspired by a combination of a fruit bar, crumb pie and tart using blueberries.  I use to love my mom’s blueberry crumb pies so I decided to make my own version of her pie by adding my own twists by keeping it gluten free and making it into a tart.   What came together is dessert/breakfast/snack that tastes like a fruit bar in a tart pan shape.

This tart is filled with delicious sweet blueberries with hints of lime and a crumb bottom and crumb top.   In the crumb mixture I used toasted quinoa flour.  I give an example of how to make toasted quinoa flour in the cobbler crust recipe for my blackberry banana cobbler right here.

The thickener used for the blueberries is kuzu starch.  Kuzu starch is not industrially processed like corn or potato starch.  On top of it being a great thickener it provides a medicinal effect to the digestion system.  More about kuzu starch in an upcoming post.

Let’s get to the recipe!

AuthorDesireeCategoryBreakfast, Desserts, Gluten FreeDifficultyIntermediate