July 16, 2004
Tarte aux Myrtilles
[Blueberry Tart]
Blueberries are by far my favorite berry, and this has been true for as long as I can remember. Something about their color (blue), their size (tiny), and their taste (tart and sweet) really appeals to me. As luck would have it, much like blackcurrant in Burgundy, blueberries are the emblematic berry in the Vosges, where they grow by the bushload up the steep mountain slopes, and go by the name of brimbelles.
When we went to the market yesterday morning, all the produce stands had them, in sumptuous overflowing crates, and I pleaded with my mother for us to bake a tarte aux myrtilles: the family tradition (read: weird rule) is to stick to the blueberries we pick ourselves, but for some reason it's still a bit early this year to find any on our side of the mountain. And yet, I really really wanted a blueberry tart, and I was going back to Paris just a couple of days later, and I wouldn't be there anymore when they were fully in season and we could go blueberry-hunting with our little buckets and climb up above the paths and take care not to step on the shrubs and risk our lives and turn our fingers blue and compare the weight of our respective bounties when we get home and bake cakes and tarts and make jam.
So my mother said all right, all right, we'll buy blueberries and make a tart.
And so we did, enjoying it in the veranda at teatime, when we returned from our daily afternoon hike. I'm not sure if it is the sweet crunchy crust, or the soft and intensely flavorful fruit layer, or the bright blue smiles everyone has afterward, but really, aren't blueberry tarts something.
Tarte aux Myrtilles
Pie dough :
- 170 g (6 ounces) flour
- 85 g (7 tablespoons) sugar
- 85 g (6 tablespoons) butter
- a dash of milk
Filling :
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) blueberries
- 1 Tbsp crème fraîche (or sour cream)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
Finishing touch :
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), and grease a shallow 22-cm (9-inch) tart pan or line it with parchment paper.
Make the dough : in a food processor, mix the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the flour until the dough forms coarse crumbs. Add in a dash of milk, and mix again. Pour this mixture evenly into your tart pan, and press the dough down to pack it and cover the surface the pan, forming a little rim all around. Put in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Take the pie crust out and lower the temperature to 180°C (360°F). Pour in the blueberries, and return into the oven for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, beat together in a small bowl the crème fraîche, 1 Tbsp of sugar and the egg. Take the tart out of the oven, pour the mixture evenly over the blueberries and return into the oven for another 15 minutes, or until set. Leave in the turned off oven for another 15 minutes.
Let cool completely, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar just before serving.
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Comments (26)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Desserts & Sweets - Recipe Inside!
Hi Clotilde,
Yesterday I was going to try the apricot coffee cake soon, but now I have to decide if I should try blueberry tart first.... mmm...
And when you are publishing your cookbook, make sure it is available worldwide, or I will have to go to France to buy a copy! :-)
Posted by chika on July 16, 2004 9:18 PM(In fact, that could be fun, too...)
Clotilde - This looks so good! I love blueberries - I have a bush in my yard and normally I get pounds and pounds of them each summer. This year there was an unfortunate incident with a bird (he got caught in the net), so no more berries (I let the birds eat the rest). I will tuck this recipe away for next summer!
Posted by Cathy on July 16, 2004 9:48 PMYummy! That looks and sounds so delicious! I like how there isn't a heap of sugar in the recipe, too. I will definitely have to try it. Now, when you were in the US, did you try huckleberries? They are my favorite berry. Smaller and tarter than blueberries, they also have a nice little pop to them!
Posted by Mariko on July 16, 2004 10:08 PMI love the idea of the topping made with creme fraiche and an egg with a bit of sugar. Yum! Now I have the same problem as chika... what to make first! :)
Posted by Samantha on July 16, 2004 10:15 PMCuriouser and curiouser...blueberries are my most favorite too. I have been waiting for them "dans le marche", perhaps this sunday will be my lucky day. Once, a long time ago, I picked them wild, in Humbolt, California. We ate them all, before anyone had a thought to put them in a pie, or do anything else so delicious. Still one of my sweetest memories.
Posted by Alisa on July 17, 2004 12:34 AMWow another fab recipe to try. I love the idea of combining the creme fresh/sugar. Thanks.
Posted by Carol on July 17, 2004 4:41 PMHi, If anyone should make this, having converted it to American measurements, could they post it? That sure looks tasty!! Thanks for the posting Clotilde. cpr
Posted by cpr on July 18, 2004 2:46 AMIt's kismet! I just got two pints of blueberries and this is exactly the sort of thing I want to make with them. Another thrilling case of blog-synchonicity. Since I am measuring out the ingredients, here is the anglicized version for cpr:
dough:
1 1/2 cup (6 ounces) flour
rounded 1/3 cup sugar
3 ounces/3/4 stick/6 tablespoons butter
dash milk
filling:
1 scant pint blueberries (1 pint minus the few that you have to throw away/steal)
Posted by Eve on July 18, 2004 3:53 AM1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
On Blueberries vs. Huckleberries, I think the blueberries that grow wild over there are closer to what we in the Americas call huckleberries: harder, smaller, tarter, mmmm, I can hear Audrey Hepburn singing "Moon River."
Posted by Eve on July 18, 2004 3:58 AM"The Mars rover Opportunity has now solved the key puzzle it was sent to the Meridiani Planum to figure out: where is the hematite that was spotted in the area by the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter? The answer is in the "blueberries", the tiny mineral spheres that litter the rover's landing site".....blueberries here, there, and everywhere....the apricot cake I baked ~ and it was "generally held to be simply delicious" ~ so says my daughter Sophie..
Posted by Joan on July 18, 2004 9:13 AMYour tart looks delicious! If you feel adventurous you can also try the blueberry galette published in the July issue of Gourmet that you can also find here: http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=109658&r=r&mesgID=ReviewSuccess. It is also really good.
Posted by Estelle on July 19, 2004 1:42 AMSifting the flour worked this time, and the recipe came out just right for the crust. But, perhaps it was my store-bought, non-organic blueberries, but they didn't seem to burst and ooze the blue juice over the tart, but rather ended up being individual blueberries separated by creme fraiche/egg/sugar custard! Still delicious, of course.
Posted by Tenaya on July 19, 2004 10:53 PMMakes my mouth water! I so envy you, Clotilde!
Posted by Karen on July 20, 2004 5:01 PMI don't think I ever had huckleberries, but it's true that blueberries on this side of the Atlantic are way smaller than the plump little guys I enjoyed in my American muffins.
And I'm delighted you had good success with this recipe!
Estelle - That blueberry galette looks scrumptious, thanks for the link.
Posted by clotilde on July 20, 2004 7:35 PMA link on the difference between blueberries and huckleberries.
Posted by Tenaya on July 21, 2004 1:43 AMI have a pint of frozen blueberries that I froze myself this summer. If I let them thaw, will they work for this tart? (Yes, yes, I know the stores are still selling fresh ones right now, but they're a pretty penny, and I'm a poor student.)
Posted by berkeley girl on September 24, 2005 10:15 AM-berkeley girl
Berkeley girl - Frozen berries will work, no problem, but don't thaw them (otherwise they will lose too much juice): just lay them on the tart shell while still frozen, they will thaw super quickly in the oven. Enjoy!
Posted by clotilde on September 24, 2005 11:19 AMThanks, Clotilde, for the advice. I baked your tarte aux myrtilles for a friend's birthday party and got lots of compliments. I accidentally added a pint and a half of blueberries instead of just one, but it was great anyways.
Posted by berkeley girl on October 9, 2005 11:01 AM-berkeley girl
Your blueberry tart looks wonderful and just seeing it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of our last vacation in the Vosges. We were treated to jams made with the local blueberries, absolutely delicious, and we also enjoyed the regional tarte aux myrtilles. Funny that you mention that blackcurrant is the berry of Bourgogne, our destination this summer!
Posted by Paola on May 15, 2007 2:16 PMI will be trying your tart this weekend...and buying your book soon.
Hello Clotilde,
Thank you for sharing such a treasure of cooking information and insight on your website. I love the CZ book too, and read it not only for the recipes but for the great narrative as well. I thought the red flower breaking the pattern on the cover page was very cute.
I made the blueberry tart following this recipe twice very faithfully. Both times it was delicious although it tasted more like a cookie and it looked much browner than what your tart looks like in the recipe's picture. I wander if the change is a case of "size matters". What size of tart pan do you use for this tart?
All the best
Posted by Evi on August 26, 2007 6:14 AMEvi
Evi - The recipe makes enough dough for a 22-cm or 9-inch tart pan, but the brown color sounds to me like perhaps your oven runs a little high?
Posted by clotilde on September 6, 2007 5:13 PMi am so looking foward to making this. i have decited o make it for my friends birthday, she loves blueberrys. i am really excited to make it. can't wait to try your other recipies!!!
Posted by jenn on September 15, 2007 12:47 AMCan you translate this into American measurements? I have some delicious blueberries that I would love to use in this recipe!
Ah! Nevermind - I just saw Eve's post.
Posted by Emily on July 3, 2008 8:10 PMThanks for the great recipe
Clotilde, If you read to a child in English you need this book:
"a magical tale of the irrepressible curiosity--not to mention appetite--of youth"
Posted by Charlotte on July 15, 2008 6:23 PMI printed out the tarte recipe for my husband and, not knowing how to translate the quantity correctly, I looked at my liquid measuring cup, and it showed 6 oz. as 3/4 cup, so he went with that. His tarte, using fresh, organic blackberries, was the hit of our dinner party. People were amazed that Chuck made it, and how delicious it was. The crust was thin and crispy, but delicious. Now I know why. Thanks Eve for the correct quantity. Thanks Clothilde for the yummy tarte recipe.
Posted by mim on July 20, 2008 6:03 PMHi Clotilde,
I'm French but have lived in New York and London for the past eight years so it's a pleasure for me when I read your Web site to find that you have encoutered many of the same culinary questions regarding our traditions that I have faced over the years. I can't tell you how often I have been asked what we eat for Bastille Day...which I guess Americans feel is close to their July 4 holiday, at least in spirit.
Anyway, I made the bluberry tart with some gorgeous, plump organic bluberries from England. I did hesitate between those and the French ones my supermarket had on offer but worried the latter would be too sharp as they were quite small. The tart turned out very well. I made it with a wholewheat flour crust, which was ok, although I am wondering if that sort of crust really brings the best out of sweet tarts.
Posted by Aude on July 21, 2008 7:55 PMPrivacy. The email addresses you enter will not be used for any other purpose than the sending of this message.