Recipes | Pies & Tarts

FODMAP IT!™ Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard

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FODMAP IT!™ Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard

I cannot tell you how excited I am to bring this recipe to you for Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard. It is a FODMAPed version of a recipe that I developed many years ago and that then never saw the light of day.

Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard overhead image

It was for my book Unforgettable Desserts and when the book was being edited the publisher said we needed to cut some recipes for space. This one got the axe. Not because there was anything wrong with it. It was just a matter of fact that some of them had to go.

In fact, my best friend Juanita said this was one of her very favorite desserts that I had ever made, which frankly surprised me. I like grapes – but they aren’t the fruit you usually think of when you envision a truly elegant, sensual tart.

Textures, Textures, Textures!

When I develop a recipe, taste is always paramount. Something can look messy but it has to taste great. Texture is one of those interesting factors.

If you are making a pudding, you know you are going to be serving something creamy.

If you are eating crispy meringue cookies there is going to be crunch.

Sometimes things get really interesting and more complex when you combine textures. That’s one major reason why this tart works so well.

The buttery Sweet Tart Crust is crispy and crumbly. The baked lactose-free sour cream custard forms a cushiony, creamy layer. The halved grapes offer a burst of cool, juicy freshness – and when you experience all of these at once in each bite, it is a unique fruit tart that makes your palate sing.

This tart brings all those elements together and creates a striking, party-worthy dessert, particularly when you use three colors of grapes.

The crust may be baked a day ahead, but I prefer the tart served the day it is baked, very cold, straight from the refrigerator.

slice of Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard

Why Grapes?

If you have ever dipped grapes into bowls of thick sour cream and then into brown sugar as a simple dessert, then you know how well these flavors go together. I’m talking pre-low FODMAP diet, of course – now I make sure to use low FODMAP lactose-free sour cream.=

Luckily grapes are low FODMAP in pretty generous amounts (1 cup/ 150 g) and Green Valley Organics makes an amazing lactose-free sour cream. The crust was easy to FODMAP using our basic recipe for gluten-free Sweet Tart Crust.

A New Word: FODMAPian!

My husband commented that this tart was “FODMAPian”. We both paused and looked at one another. He is used to me using FODMAP related acronyms to come up with new descriptive words but we both instantly recognized that we hadn’t heard this one yet!

This one is going to get into rotation.

wedge of Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard

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wedge of Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard
4 from 2 votes

FODMAP IT!™ Fresh Grape Tart with Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Custard

This tart is comprised of a simple, crisp sweet crust, a lactose-free custard and sweet, juicy low FODMAP grapes! Bakery-worthy and yet very easy to make.

Makes: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

Sour Cream Custard:

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (71 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups (454 g) lactose-free sour cream, such as Green Valley Organics (see Tips) such as Green Valley Organics (see Tips)

Grape Topping & Glaze:

  • 1 pound (455 g) medium, firm seedless grapes, washed and dried, stemmed, preferably a mixture of colors, your choice
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) orange marmalade (see Tips)
  • 1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

  1. For the Sour Cream Custard: Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. Coat a 10-inch (25 cm) loose-bottomed fluted tart pan generously with nonstick spray; set aside.
  2. Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt together in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and well combined. Gently whisk in the sour cream until combined. Scrape into the prepared crust and smooth evenly.
  3. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or just until the custard is set. It should lightly jiggle in the center when you gently shake the pan, but will be firmer around the edges. Cool completely in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours.
  4. For the Topping: Make sure the grapes are thoroughly dry. Slice each one in half lengthwise through the stem end. Arrange the grape halves, cut side down, all over the custard, alternating colors and creating a random or orderly pattern, as you wish.
  5. For the Glaze: Place marmalade and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is melted; whisking until smooth. Press through a fine meshed strainer using a silicone spatula. Use a pastry brush to very gently apply a light coating of glaze to the grapes; you might not need all of the glaze. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Serve the tart cold the day it is assembled.

Notes:

Tips

  • Green Valley Organics Lactose-Free Sour Cream comes in a 12-ounce (340 g) tub. You could use that amount with the rest of the custard ingredients, but the result will not be as creamy as using a full 2 cups (454 g) as suggested, in which case you have to buy two tubs. Yes, you will have sour cream left over, but you can use it to dollop on Chicken Enchiladas or make a tasty dip.
  • Orange marmalade is given the Green Light by Monash, thankfully! As odd as it may seem, it is my go-to for peanut butter sandwiches. After straining it makes a light colored, delicately flavored shiny tart glaze. I have also used Lime Marmalade to make a glaze for this tart, which adds a slightly more assertive flavor. I like the James Keiller & Son brand. It is easy to find in many U.S. supermarkets and the ingredients are simply sugar, reconstituted lime juice, lime peel, fruit pectin, sodium citrate, citric acid and lime oil. It has worked very well for me in terms of being no more or less digestible than the orange version. Try some for yourself.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 6mg

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.