Blueberry Tart

I love fresh berries. Don’t you? They’re sweet, tart, refreshing and you can feel good about enjoying their antioxidant benefits. However, there’s something quite magical that happens to them in the oven when they’re beautifully transformed into a comforting, rich, gooey filling. And the aroma that fills your kitchen…well…there’s nothing quite like it.

I really enjoy baking from scratch, and find it incredibly rewarding preparing a pie or tart in its entirety; crust and all. These particular steps are easy to follow, and using my pastry cutter to blend the dough by hand feels very therapeutic. (Also, I skipped the gym yesterday morning and was hoping this would double as my kitchen workout. My right arm is now tank-top ready.)

This is also one of the few times I get to use my springform pan, which I find brilliant for transporting (this tart successfully traveled all the way to NJ in one piece), and kind of fun to work with. As an alternative, you can make this using a 10-inch pie plate.

Although it would be delicious year-round, I gravitate towards this recipe during the summertime when blueberries are in their prime. The crust is firm, yet moist, and the filling is bursting with a zing from luscious, glistening purpleish deliciousness.

Recipe from “I Can’t Believe It’s Kosher” cookbook.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter, cold (I used margarine)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Filling:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

4 1/2 cups blueberries, divided

Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° and spray 10-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, salt and sugar.

Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork.

Mix in the vinegar.

Pour crust into pan and press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the side.

For filling, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon.

Add 2 1/2 cups of blueberries.

Place evenly on top of crust.

Bake for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and pour remaining 2 cups of blueberries on top, lightly pressing into tart.

Cool completely, remove rim and serve from springform bottom. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Eat and enjoy your fresh-baked creation!