Fresh Blueberry Tart

November 26, 2013

• One prepared 9-inch Almond Crust, recipe below
• Vanilla Pastry Cream, recipe below
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup red currant or apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons brandy or kirsch water
• 3 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Whip the heavy cream – add the sugar and vanilla and beat until peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream and spoon into the baked crust, smoothing the top.

Combine the jam and brandy in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the jam. Remove from heat and let cool.

Arrange the blueberries in a circular pattern around the top of the cream. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the berries with the jam glaze. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

 Almond Pastry Crust

• ¼ cup slivered, blanched almonds, lightly toasted and cooled
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Finely grind the almonds In a food processor. Add the flour, sugar and salt, and process to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the machine running, add the egg yolk and extract through the feed tube and process. Add the ice water and process just until a dough forms. Fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing the dough first along the sides and then evenly across the bottom. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line the dough with parchment paper and pie weights or beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and bake until golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

 Vanilla Pastry Cream

• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean pods and seeds In a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Slowly add ½ cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the egg yolk mixture to the pan of hot milk and whisk to combine. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain into a clean container. Discard the vanilla bean or rinse and reserve for another use. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours, before using. Yield: Makes about 2 ¼ cups