Breakfast tartlet

This week may call for a bit of creativity. I missed the market on Saturday, and by last night the refrigerator had been emptied of local produce from top to bottom. With the shelves clean, it was easy to see this morning what lingering jars and bags needed to go.

The first that caught my eye was a tiny ball of pie crust. Unbaked and forgotten, it had been sitting in the cheese drawer since the night I crafted four individual lattice topped strawberry rhubarb pies for a friend's birthday almost a month before. Upon closer inspection, it appeared happily unspoiled and ripe for the oven.

The Greek yogurt I'd used as a starter for my own batch appeared next. Carefully covered and tucked against the back wall, it remained white and creamy as the day I'd bought it.

Finally, I hit upon a half-eaten jar of last year's strawberry jam, opened a week or so ago and quickly dwindling. With this year's on the way, it could afford to be eaten.

I pressed the pie dough into a tiny, three-inch tart pan and carefully cut the excess dough from atop its scalloped edges. After ten minutes in a 425 degree oven, it was crisp and golden and beginning to puff. I pulled it out to cool and readied the toppings. A dollop of Greek yogurt spread across the bottom of the shell, melting into a warm, spreadable cream. When it reached halfway up the top of the tart, I topped it with a spoonful of strawberry jam.

As I dug my fork in, cold berries and cream yielded to the warm, doughy crust. It may have been a breakfast created from the necessity of empty shelves, but it certainly didn't taste that way.

BREAKFAST TARTLET

Serves 1

Press 1 small ball leftover pie or tart dough into a 3-inch tart pan. Trim excess dough from top edges, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Pull from oven and without allowing to cool, drop in 2 tablespoons thick Greek yogurt. Spread evenly across bottom, filling shell halfway up sides. Top with 1 tablespoon strawberry or other fruit jam. Enjoy warm.