Blueberry Brown Butter Tart

Posted by kdipaolo at recipegoldmine.com 6/28/01 6:04:56 am

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pre-baked Sweet Short Crust Tart Shell (recipe follows)
1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla extract until combined. Sift the flour over the top and mix well. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter until it is foamy. Continue to heat the butter until the foam begins to subside and the butter begins to burn brown, just starts to smoke and gives off a nutty aroma. Whisking continuously, pour the hot butter in a steady stream into the egg mixture, combining well. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle the 1 cup blueberries evenly over the bottom of the prebaked tart shell. Pour the brown butter mixture over the blueberries, filling the shell two-thirds full. Bake until the filling is firm to the touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Let the tart cool completely.

For the topping, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 30 seconds. Place the 21/2 cups blueberries in a colander set over a bowl. Pour the syrup over the berries, coating them completely, and allow the excess to run into the bowl. Shake the colander to remove the excess syrup. Mound the berries onto the cooled tart, covering the entire top.

Just before serving, sift the confectioners' sugar over the top.

Sweet Short Crust Tart Shell:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
10 tablespoons (11/4 sticks) unsalted
    butter, out of the refrigerator for
    15 minutes, cut into small pieces
Up to 1 tablespoon water, room temperature

In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar and salt with a few pulses. Add the lemon zest and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the water as needed until the dough just holds together in a ball.

Remove the dough from the processor and flatten it into a 6-inch diameter cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Press the pastry evenly onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Chill the tart shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Line the pastry with baking parchment and scatter 1 cup of dried beans or pie weights onto the parchment. Bake the tart shell until the top edges are light golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 9-inch tart shell