Monday, August 06, 2007

Blueberry Lemon Curd Tart


Blueberry Lemon Curd Tart
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.
I go hunting for recipes based on ingredients that I either have on hand or think sound good together. I recently went blueberry picking at The Happy Berry in Pickens, SC. I made blueberry muffins and had been eating them with oatmeal, but wanted to do something special. In my blueberry recipe hunting I found that almost everything included lemon. So, lemon and blueberry started me thinking on a blueberry and lemon curd idea, being a big fan of lemon curd.

This recipe held the most promise, but I have to confess I cheated extensively. What I will share with you is my cheating recipe, in hopes that you will feel inspired to whip one up and share it with your friends. (If you don't feel like cheating, and want to make the crust and lemon curd from scratch, by all means follow the link to the recipe above!)

Blueberry Lemon Curd Tart
1 pie or pastry crust
1 jar lemon curd
1 pint blueberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Line tart pan with crust, prick with fork, and bake until golden. Allow to cool. Spread lemon curd along bottom of cooled crust. I would use a healthy layer - I probably used about a 1/2 cup.

In a saucepan, heat blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water over medium heat, until mixture has thickened to desired consistency and berries have started to burst.* Allow to cool.**

Spread berry mixture over lemon curd.

To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar or garnish with fresh blueberries and mint sprigs. I just left it as is, thinking the colors spoke for themselves.

*Depending on what kind of berries you use, they might not burst by the time the mixture thickens, and that's okay. Smaller berries seem to stay firm longer, but still taste good.

**I make a variety of this blueberry mixture, just adding a couple of cinnamon sticks, as an easy dessert sauce that is wonderful over vanilla icecream. This could also make a good crepe filling.

Jenny's notes: I want to try this soon with blackberries, because I also love blackberries and lemon curd!! It also begs the trial of other jams and jellies in a similar way. Tarts seem to be an easy way to put together a dessert without having to use a lot of extended heat during an already hot summer!

Categories: Blueberry, Lemon, Tart

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