Two Blueberry Tarts

My daughter asked me for a tart recipe before the 4th of July so she could enter a baking contest for her block party. She came to the right place--she knows I'm a food-a-phile and would welcome the opportunity to drag out all my cookbooks and all those recipes I'd torn out of magazines for the last 40 years and find just the right recipe. And I did. She took home a 3rd place prize for her Blueberry Almond Tart and I took home kudos for the Blueberry Tart I took to work on July 3rd because she'd inspired me to make a tart, too. Here are the recipes if you want to enter a contest--either to win prizes at a block party or to simply win the hearts of colleagues stuck at work on Monday, July 3rd, or your friends and family on a special occasion:

Prize-Winning Blueberry Almond Tart (from Bon Apetit Fresh and Simple)

Begin making the filling the day before assembling the tart; once completed, it can be chilled another day before serving. Makes 6-8 servings. [Note: tsp=teaspoon; tbsp=tablespoon]

Filling:
4 1/2 pint baskets fresh blueberries, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (1/2 of large lemon)
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. grated lemon peel (I mince the peel instead of grating--more flavor)

Crust:
1 cp. all purpose flour
1/4 cp. plus 2 tbsp. sliced almonds, lightly toasted (you can do this in a skillet over high heat, stirring constantly)
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cp. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 lrg. egg yolk
1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cp. currant jelly

For filling: Combine 2 baskets blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in heavy med. saucepan. Coarsely mash berries. Stir over med-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixure boils and thickens, about 7 minutes. Whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in half of hot berry mixture, return to pan. Stir over med-high heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Whisk in butter and lemon peel. Transfer filling to bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

For crust: Lightly butter 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Blend flour, 1/4 cp. sliced almonds, sugar, and salt in processor until almonds are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg yolk and almond extract in small bowl; add to processor and blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Piece crust all over with form; freeze 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set; about 12 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden; about 18 minutes longer. Cool completely.

Spread filling in crust; sprinkle remaining 2 baskets berries over. Stir currant jelly in small saucepan over med. heat until melted; brush over berries. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. sliced almonds around edge of tart. Cover loosely with foil and chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Remove pan sides and serve.

Lisa's Blueberry Tart (from Yankee Magazine)

8 egg yolks
1/2 cp. sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 1/2 cp. milk (I used non-fat)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cp. heavy cream (I used 1/4 cp. half-and-half; 1/4 cp. low fat yogurt)
2 tbsp. soft unsalted butter
Flaky Pastry Shell
3 cps. fresh blueberries

In a med bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Stir in cornstarch and set aside.

Pour milk and vanilla extract in a med pan over med-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil; then reduce heat to med-low. While whisking constantly, ladle 1 cp. of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Next, slowly pour all the egg mixture gack into the milk, whisking as you go. The mixture will begin to thicken. When it reaches pudding consistency, remove from heat. If desire, pour through a mesh strainer. Whisk in heavy cream and butter, then cover with plastic and cool in refrigerator 1 hour. Pour filling into Flaky Pastry Shell and top with blueberries. Serve slightly chilled. [Note: If your tart pan is less than a 12-inch pan, reduce the amount of custard you add by at least a cup. Put the extra in custard cups.]

Flaky Pastry Shell

2 1/2 cps. all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks (1 cp.) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. ice water

Using a pastry cutter, cut together flour, butter, and salt until they form a coarse mixture. [I used the food processer.] Drizzle in ice water and mix by hand until the dough comes together (it should be moist, but not sticky to the touch). Do not overmix. Chill dough 15 min.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Carefully lift and place into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges and chill uncovered, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of crust with parchment paper, then weigh it down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Remove the paper and weights and continue to bake until the shell becomes golden brown, 10-12 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature. [This is a wonderfully tasty and hardy tart crust! This tart transports well.]

Enjoy!