Blueberry Lemon Tart

To start off tonight, let me inform you that I am the Business Office Manager for two VERY busy urologists in the Medical Center.  As it turns out, tomorrow is Dr. Guerriero's 75th bday, and he apparently loves the flavor profile of lemon and blueberry together; I made this special tart for him for Christmas and was told it was a total hit!  So I had a grand idea to make his favorite dessert for his birthday and ease our way into a nice 3-day weekend.  

Let me point out the originator of the fabulous dessert, Tyler Florence!  I must, once again, brag about meeting him and having him chat with me a few minutes to answer questions, talk about food and sign his new book Fresh for me.

This tart is light, refreshing and is an elegant dessert.  It is sure to please any crowd and be the talk of any gathering.  If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow Tyler Florence for all the  latest and greatest on him, his food, his restaurant; if it weren't for this, I would've never known he was coming to Houston.  The following recipe is in its true form; I dare not deviate from the master's plan!

Blueberry Lemon Tart

Ingredients

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, in chunks
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons ice water, plus 1 teaspoon

Filling:

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested
Pinch kosher salt
1 pint blueberries

No need to spend money on fancy pie weights when you can use regular dry beans.  The recipe does call for 1 cup of fresh lemon juice & suggests it would be 5; but in actuality, I normally need 8 lemons to get an entire cup of  juice.

Tart pan with removable bottom

Directions

To make the pastry, pulse the flour, sugar & salt together in a food processor. 

Add the butter and pulse until the dough resembles cornmeal.  

Add the egg yolk & 2 Tbs ice water & pulse again until the dough pulls together.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the edges of the pan and fold the excess dough inside to reinforce the rim.  Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to rest.

To bake the shell, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet & prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. 

Cover shell with a piece of parchment paper & fill with pie weights or dry beans. 

Bake for 25 min. Remove parchment & weights. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tsp water & brush it onto the bottom & sides of the tart shell; set aside to cool.

(in the meantime, zest one lemon & juice your lemons)

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cream, zest, and salt. Add the blueberries to the cooled tart shell and pour the filling over the blueberries. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The curd should jiggle slightly when done. Cool to room temperature, remove from the tart ring, and serve.

The Masterpiece

Unmolded, side-view

So it's all done & ready; I have to let it cool completely before I put the lid on my carrier.  I want to thank Tyler Florence for being the most awesome chef on the plant and for this most incredible dessert and also a special thanks to the Food Network for saving me when I can't get to my cookbooks, lol!

I really hope that you are able to give this tart a try.  Let me tell you that I have, in the past, bought pre-made pie dought; however, this homemade crust holds up SO much better to the filling plus it tastes fantastic!  

I just might have to work on one of Tyler's recipes from his newest cookbook, Fresh.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

The b-day boy ready for this tart!