well hello, and a good afternoon to you all... today is a very happy day in our little house... why? because the hubby will be home... FINALLY... it feels like he has been gone forever, and the thing is, this was one of his shortest patrols... it was just a very stressful 45 days... and i really needed him here for a lot of things... but, i kept it together and soldiered on... but tonight, our family will be complete again...
to celebrate the hubs return i decided to make a yummy fresh fruit tart... using none-other then maine blueberries... these blueberries are ahh-mazing... i have truly fallen in love with all the fresh fruits and veggies maine has to offer... delectable
to start the tart off, i used dorie greenspan's sweet tart dough... my go-to tart dough, it's always a delicious success...
makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust:ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg*
directions:
1. pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor... scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas
2. slightly whisk the yolk, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition... when the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds
3. just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change– stop the machine!
4. turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped during the mixing process
5. now press the dough into a buttered tart pan.. press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan... you want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture
6. freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking
7. to fully or partially bake the crust: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 8. butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust... and here is the kicker, because you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights... put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes
9. carefully remove the foil... if the crust has puffed a bit during baking, press it down gently with the back of a spoon... return to the ovem, and bake the crust about 10 minutes longer until it is firm and golden brown
for the mascarpone cream, blend mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla bean until nice and creamy... then i topped the cream with beautifully ripe blueberries
i also made a yummy fresh strawberry and blueberry sauce... it was the perfect little topping for the tart... i just slightly simmered blueberries, strawberries, fresh lemon juice and sugar, then added a bit of cornstarch to help thicken it... then i used my emulsifier to blend it down... i'm so glad i went the extra bit and made this... i think the hubs will really enjoy this... he's a blueberry fanatic
welcome back hubby, you have no idea how much we've missed you...
and as always... happy baking to you all :)
