Ingredients:
- 1 1⁄2 cups barley flour
- 1⁄2 cup cold water
- 3 Tbs honey
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 45mm (1 3⁄4”) tartlet pans
- 16 oz. mixed fresh seasonal berries
- 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 tsp. ground mace
- 1⁄4 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1⁄2 cup mead (may use white wine + 2 Tbs honey)
- Finely chopped nuts for garnish
For the filling: Place the berries, spices and mead in a bowl. Cover and allow to macerate for several hours until the fruit is soft and flavors absorbed.
For the base: Place the barley flour in a bowl, add the honey and olive oil and mix. Pour in the water little by little and continue mixing until a good dough is formed. The dough should hold together and release from the sides of the mixing bowl. Wrap in cling wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. Remove and using a floured surface roll out as thinly as possible, close to 1⁄4” thick.
Using a roughly 5-6cm round cut the dough and place the rounds into the tartlet pans. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 400F for about 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and cool on a baking rack.
To assemble: Drain any remaining liquid from the berry mixture. Fill each tartlet pan with the fruit. Top with nuts, drizzle with honey, chocolate or other desired topping and serve.
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.