blueberry lemon curd tartlets

blueberry lemon curd tartlets

• 21 Sept 2020

Blueberries are plentiful at the moment and they pair very well with lemon. I had a new tartlet tin to try out, the Bakemaster 12 cup shallow pan from Everten, so I decided to make some mini blueberry lemon tartlets. 





I've provided recipes for the pastry and the lemon curd, but you could always buy both the pastry and lemon curd if you're pressed for time.



If you’re going to make your own lemon curd, you’ll need to make this first to allow time for it to set. The almond pastry makes more than you need for the recipe but it freezes very well.

Here’s the recipe for you which makes 12 small tartlets. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60 g eggs. My oven is a conventional oven so if you have a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 20°C.

Blueberry lemon curd tartlets

½ quantity almond short crust pastry

⅓ cup lemon curd

½ cup cream

1 tbs caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 punnet blueberries, washed

Optional - a few sprigs of mint leaves, washed

Lemon curd
2 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
⅓ cup lemon juice
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
60 g (2 oz) softened unsalted butter

Lemon Curd
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, juice and rind in a heatproof bowl until just combined. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on medium high for 5 - 6 minutes, whisking every minute, or until the curd thickens to the consistency of whipped cream. Strain the curd through a fine sieve. Add butter to the lemon curd a little at a time, whisking well between additions. Cover the curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill and set (at least 4 hours or overnight).

Almond shortcrust pastry 

1⅓ cup plain flour 

¼ cup almond meal
¼ cup icing sugar 

Pinch salt
110g/4 oz unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of iced water 

 

Place flour, almond meal, icing sugar, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs. With the processor still running, gradually pour in enough of the egg mixture until the pastry starts to form a ball. Stop the processor, tip out the dough and form it into a disc. Wrap in plastic and pop in the fridge to rest for 40 minutes. 

Thinly roll out half the dough on a floured surface. Use a large round cutter to cut out 12 pastry circles. Place the pastry into the tart shells, docking the base and sides with the tines of a fork. Cover the tin, then return the tin to the fridge and refrigerate for a few hours, or until the pastry is firm.

Preheat the oven to 190C°. Line each tartlet shell with a cupcake liner then fill the liner with baking beads or dried beans. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges of the shells are golden brown. Carefully remove the cupcake liners and baking beads and return the shells to the oven for 5-7 more minutes until the bottom of the shell is lightly coloured. Cool a little before removing the shells from the tin and place on a rack to cool.

 

Gently whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. To assemble, just before serving fill each shell with a teaspoon of lemon curd, a dollop of cream and a sprig of mint if using.

I hope you enjoy these little sweet treats. 

See you all again next week. 

Bye for now,

Jillian