Blueberry Sour Cream Tart

Fresh Wild Blueberries...YUM!!!

I found the most amazing wild blueberries at the Farmer's Market and I had to make this.  Really this recipe has been haunting me; it calls to me in the night, "make me, make me," and then "eat me, eat me."  It is disturbing that a tart could have so much power over me, but it does...because it is soooooooo good!

Blueberries are one of the most unloved berries.  They get pushed aside by sweet juicy blackberries and glorious ruby red raspberries.  Blueberries are an unsung hero in my mind.  They are PACKED with antioxidants and they have the most remarkable tangy sweetness.  No other berry can mimic the blueberry.  If you have written off the blueberry as tasteless and boring, you obviously have not had fresh picked wild blueberries.  They are remarkable!  Get your buns to a farmer's market and give them a second chance...

This tart is really quite easy to make.  I got the recipe out of the cookbook "Chicken and Egg".  I am in love with this book.  Given enough butter and a higher metabolism, I could easily cook and eat my way through this book...it's that good!  The recipe has three parts: the crust, the sour cream filling, and the plump little blueberries.  The crust requires skills...skills that I may or may not possess.  The thing about the crust is that it is very forgiving. Do not be intimidated by it.  Just press it back together, smooth it out, make it pretty and get on with it!  You want to eat this tart not slave over it!!!

The tart is light and flaky and portrays summer in a very simple and elegant way.  Give this a try, you will adore it.  If you are feeling rambunctious, you can substitute the blueberries for some flashy blackberries or raspberries (I vote for the raspberries) or even strawberries.

Perfect Summer Afternoon Dessert

Blueberry Sour Cream Tart

Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole

CRUST: 

1 1/4 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened

1/4 cup Sugar

1 Egg, Separated

FILLING:

6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tbsp Flour

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Sour Cream

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Grated Orange Zest

TOPPING:

2 cups Fresh Blueberries

1/4 Cup Red Currant Jelly, Warmed

TO MAKE CRUST:  Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl.  Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth.  Add the egg yolk and beat until blended.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating just until dough forms.  On a slightly floured work surface, press the dough into a flat disk.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 14-by-4 1/2-inch rectangular or a 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom.  

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk the egg white until frothy.  LIghtly brush the inside of the crust with the egg white.  Bake for 15 minutes or until pale brown and set.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  

TO MAKE FILLING:  Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Beat in the flour.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest.  Pour into the baked crust. 

Bake the tart for 20 minutes or until slightly puffed around the edge.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  

Pile the blueberries on top of the tart.  Brush the red currant jelly over the blueberries.  Serve immediately or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

ENJOY!!!