This Atlantic Beach Tart has a Ritz cracker crust and is filled with lemon and key lime juice filling similar to a key lime pie.
I made this Atlantic Beach Tart in honor of the blog turning 17.
You read that right.
17.
As in years.
For 17 years I’ve been creating recipes, photographing them, writing posts, and talking food with whoever wanted to talk food.
However, this is the year I almost quit.
Food blogging used to be about sharing food you love.
And that’s why I still do it.
But the dirty secret they don’t tell you is that the majority food blogs don’t create food for the heck of it anymore.
What does that mean?
They don’t think of a fun new recipe anymore.
There is no spontaneous idea come to their heads and the rush to the kitchen to make it…which is my method. 🙂
What do they do then?
They research.
Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
Do they research a recipe they want to make?
No.
They look on Pinterest, Google, and Tik Tok and see what is trending.
Then they find the top recipes and try to recreate them.
Try to write posts with more keywords and SEO so that they can out rank the top people with that recipe.
Bloggers pay thousands a year (not me) to ranking sites so that they can figure out how to make a popular recipe and then out rank whoever made that recipe.
And for some people that’s all well and good.
But when I got into blogging 17 years ago it’s because I loved to bake and I wanted to connect with others who liked baking.
I belonged to the Daring Bakers…if you are old school you may remember that.
We commented on each others blogs (back when that was a thing).
And we discussed our baking successes and failures.
During the pandemic the world became flooded with new food blogs.
Not because of their desire to be creative and share their love of cooking.
But to make money from home.
And again, that’s fine.
However, we only need so many Best Banana Bread and Best Blueberry Muffin recipes in the world.
Don’t get me wrong.
There are still really creative and awesome bloggers out there.
Jessica (How Sweet Eats) and Heather (Sprinkle Bakes) are two who still inspire me weekly.
But overall, I can visit most blogs and find the same recipes over and over.
Last year I decided to play the game.
Since we take in special needs dogs we are at the vet a lot.
And well, that really adds up quickly.
Blog income is what we use to cover the cost of the dogs care.
So I wanted to make more income.
So I did some research ahead of time.
Only to discover anything I actually wanted to bake doesn’t rank anywhere on Google.
I tried not to ramble on in my post…like I am now.
And all that had me do was start to resent blogging.
A lot.
I’m sure just from this post you get a sense of my displeasure into what food blogging has become.
Just like most things in life…once money gets involved the soul of the activity gets drained.
So last week as the anniversary of the blog rolled around I really thought about if I was done.
And I am.
I’m done trying to play the game.
Because when I do, I don’t want to blog.
I’ve hardly blogged at all in 2022.
I’ve been thoroughly uninspired.
So I decided that it was better to be inspired and not rank in Google than it was to try and rank but make things I didn’t really want to make.
Now on to this pie….well, tart.
But you could make it as a pie.
In my cookbook Holy Sweet! I made Atlantic Beach Thumbprint Cookies.
I had a ton of egg yolks leftover after making creamsicle angel food cake (yes, that will be on the blog) so I thought key lime pie.
But I always make that.
So Atlantic Beach it was.
If you don’t know what it is, it’s a lemon lime pie with the texture of key lime pie.
The pie also does not use graham cracker crumbs.
Instead it uses salty crackers.
Usually Saltines but I love me some Ritz crackers so I used those.
It’s salty and sweet and tart and rather perfect.
Cheers to 17 years of blogging…which I’m sticking with for now. 🙂
Want More Pie/Tart Recipes?
Atlantic Beach Tart
Ingredients
- Ritz Cracker Crust:
- 1 ¾ cups crushed Ritz cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 7-8 TBSP melted unsalted butter
- For the Filling:
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh if possible
- 1/3 cup key lime juice, fresh if possible
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 5 egg yolks
- For the Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 TBSP lemon curd
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the crust:
- In a large bowl add the Ritz cracker crumbs and powdered sugar.
- Add about 7 TBSP melted butter.
- Mix until combined.
- If it seems like it needs more butter add the remaining TBSP (mine too the full 8 TBSP).
- Pour contents into a tart or pie pan and press to form a shell.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes at 325F.
- For the Filling:
- Whisk sweetened condensed milk with the egg yolks.
- Whisk in cream cheese.
- Stir in whipping cream, lemon juice and lime juice.
- Pour filling into the baked tart pan.
- Bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- For the Whipped Cream:
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment whisk the cream on high until soft peaks form.
- Add the lemon curd and powdered sugar and whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
- Spread whipped cream on tart when ready to serve.
Megan P. says
Yours is one of two blogs I still check daily because I like your ideas and anecdotes and I’ve been checking it daily for at least 13 years. I’m glad you’re still here and still doing it your way. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Peabody says
Thanks for hanging in there with me for that long!
Meredith Allen says
I am proud of you for sticking to your guns! No point in trying to keep up with the Jones’s if your heart is not in it. I do love all that you have done the past 17 years and will continue to check back to see if you pop in here from time to rime with one of your creations.
Peabody says
Thank you!
Meredith Allen says
Oops! My bad – I just reread the end and saw you ARE sticking with it. YAY! Keep up the great work – I check daily 🙂
Peabody says
Yes, I am sticking with it.
Erika says
A friend and I have been following your blog for a loooong time….perhaps not quite 17 years, but pretty close 🙂
Yours is one of the few food blogs I still come to, sometimes just for the humor 🙂
I understand if you don’t continue, but there are still those of us who appreciate your creativity, humor, and not conforming to the masses.
This tart looks delish, btw.
Peabody says
You deserve a badge or something for sticking with it that long! 🙂
Sticking with it for now.
stefanie says
Sounds like a fun treat. I love your blog and the inspiration. Thanks for treating us all with your humor and baking fun. I’m glad you are staying around and hope you can continue to find it fun.
Michele says
Congratulations Peabody, this is an impressive achievement! I too have been following your blog for along time, and hope that you will continue so that we can continue to enjoy it. I really appreciate that you follow your convictions and that you have such a original voice. Wishing you all the best! The tart does look awesome and is on my summer bucket list…
Peabody says
Thank you!
Karen says
Just commenting to let you know how much I appreciate your authenticity, humor, and creativity. I have been an avid food blog reader since blogging began. I have been following you since the Tuesdays with Dorie days and read every word of every post!
Peabody says
Thank you for sticking with me!
KNatGU says
Peabody, for what it is worth, I’m an avid cooking blog reader.
23 cooking only blogs in my feed at the moment and you put out some of the most creative content out there. Always so original.
I hope you find the balance that brings you joy and keeps the recipes coming.
Peabody says
Thank you for saying that!
Morven says
It’s a keeper!
So glad you’re still blogging. Yours is one of the few I follow these days.
I made the tart as directed but only had a rectangular tart tin so I was worried the crust would be too thin by the time I pressed it out. the ratio of crust to filling was perfect & there was even enough filling to lick the spoon (for taste testing purposes of course). I made the tart the night before eating. The crust stayed crisp and was deliciously buttery. The only thing I did differently was reduce the sugar in the topping to 1/4 cup & I may not use any next time but that’s purely personal preference. Soooooo good!
Peabody says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Valarie Gelfand says
Love your blog and your dedication!
Peabody says
Thank you
Maureen O’Reilly says
The recipe specifies a paddle attachment to make the whipped cream. What’s the reason for not using the whisk attachment ( if one is available)? Also, did you use a 14in. rectangular tart pan when you made it?Thanks!
Peabody says
It’s a mistake, use the whisk. Yes, 14 inch
Tanya says
First time visiting – and I love your creativity in the kitchen. So many tempting treats!
Peabody says
Thank you!