This tart is made of grapefruit. Therefore, BREAKFAST!

It’s December! I doubt you need reminding, but there it is. Despite the slight annoyances of increased traffic, impacted post offices and whatnot, I do love this time of year, especially all the lighted buildings in the city and the excuse to have a giant tree in my living room.

AND the baking. Because holidays = baking & eggnog, a well known fact. I haven’t gotten to the eggnog (give it time) but at least I’ve got the baking on lock.

I’m on a citrus run over here (scurvy? pshhhh no) — I’ve had requests and I’ve been loving fresh citrus taste. This makes two in a row, and there’s at least one more coming, probably lemon next time — can’t stop won’t stop!

I debated calling these bars vs a tart… but tarts are fun I can call it whatever I want! Besides, this slices into wedges which makes me want to call it a tart. Bars are square. Right?! Right. We’ll go with tart. ALSO hahahaha grapefruits are kind of tart. You see what I did there?!

…. Moving on, terrible pun notwithstanding.

This tart is spectacular (and easy!) – if you love grapefruit, these are for you. In the course of my recipe brainstorming, I discovered that caramel is a flavor affinity for grapefruit, which seemed rather counter-intuitive, but I decided I was going to try it anyway. Good thing too because the grapefruit – caramel combination of these bars is SO GOOD IT MUST BE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS. Not shouting… just for emphasis! ha. But seriously — if you like grapefruit, get on these. They will brighten up your day and make your kitchen smell amazing! The tart has the consistency of lemon bars, with the crust adding a great textural counterpoint. And then there’s caramel… of course.

Besides that, it’s paleo, gluten & grain free, refined sugar free and dairy free – enjoy with abandon! ‘Tis the season :)

Jessie would like to say hello:

The latest… plus fun at the tree lot:

Happy December!

Side note, this tart is perfectly acceptable breakfast food. Because, grapefruit!

Grapefruit Tart on a Coconut Cashew Crust with Coconut Caramel Sauce

A Wait are those Cookies original! Full of grapefruity flavor (if you love grapefruit, these are absolutely for you!) that is complemented by the coconut and cashew crust. Serve with vanilla ice cream of choice for maximum flavor happiness. Gluten & grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo depending on your definition. Yield: 1 9″ dish; serves as many as your discretion dictates (that could be 2. Or 8!)

For the crust:

• 1.5 c cashew flour
• 1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/3 c unsalted cashew butter
• 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the bars:

• 4.5 eggs*
• scant 2/3 c runny honey
• zest of 1 grapefruit
• 1/4 + 1/8 c fresh grapefruit juice
• pinch of sea salt
• 4.75 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

* to achieve half an egg: crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk it; then either measure or eyeball half and use that. or just use a whole one as long as it’s small, I doubt it would affect the consistency of the bars all that much…

For the caramel sauce:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1/3 c coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the caramel (best made at least one day ahead):

Combine coconut milk, coconut sugar, and sea salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Leave uncovered and bring to a boil, then lower the temp and continue to let the sauce simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has reduced, thickened and will coat the back of a spoon, remove from heat and stir in coconut oil and vanilla. The caramel will lighten in color and thicken slightly if you keep it overnight in the fridge (though it is still relatively runny caramel) — store in an airtight jar for up to two weeks if not using immediately.

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a deep 9″ pie dish with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, stir together cashew flour, coconut, baking soda, and sea salt. Add in cashew butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla, and stir until combined and crumbly. Press the crust dough evenly into the prepared pan and up the sides, and poke with a fork a few times. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside when done.

While the crust is baking, make the filling! In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, grapefruit zest and juice, sea salt, coconut flour (sifted if lumpy) and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the parbaked crust, and bake for 30-35 minutes. The top should be mostly firm and the filling set, with just a small amount of wiggle (it’ll firm up as it cools). Let cool completely and eat immediately or chill in the fridge for later (I like it cold!) — serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel for maximum happiness. Store any leftovers in the fridge, though I challenge you to actually have any leftovers!