Lemon Blackberry Tart

By á-179026

Ingredients

• For the Brown Butter Tart Shell:
• (makes a 9-inch tart shell)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon sized squares
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour, scooped into a measuring cup with a spoon and unleveled (around 5oz.)
• For the Lemon Cream & Blackberry Filling:
• (makes about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 1 pint fresh blackberries
• a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar

Preparation

Step 1

For the Brown Butter Tart Shell:
Preheat the oven to 410 (F).

In a Pyrex type oven-safe bowl, combine 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt.

This is going to sound weird, but place the bowl in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the mixture is boiling and the butter starts browning.

After 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and add 1 cup of flour quickly spooning in flour in 1 tablespoon sized chunks. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to stir in the flour until it pulls off the sides of the bowl. The mixture is gonna bubble and smoke, but trust the recipe! This will result in the most delicate crust you will ever eat.

Once the dough is cool enough to touch, transfer the ball of dough into a 9-inch tart pan. Use the back of your hand to flatten out the dough onto the bottom of the pan, and your finger tips to mold the dough up into the corners and sides of the pan. It's gonna feel really greasy and kinda unpleasant, but go with it.

Use a fork to poke several holes into the crust.

Bake at 410 (F) for 15 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and starts to appear flakey. This crust is very forgiving -- it should have hardly any cracks.

At 15 minutes, remove carefully from oven and let rest on a cooling rack. It is ready for filling.


For the Lemon Cream & Blackberry Filling:
Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into deep saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer.

Combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, 3/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt in a stainless steel bowl that will rest securely in the rim of a saucepan over and not touching the water. Whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and registers 180 (F) on a thermometer this will take 10 to 12 minutes. If you don't have a thermometer, don't worry -- the mixture should thicken to the point that your whisk leaves a trail through the curd. Just be sure to never let the egg yolks and sugar sit together for more than a moment without stirring; the sugar will cook the yolks and turn them granular. Don't let that happen.

Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool to 140 (F), stirring from time to time to release the heat.

While the mixture is cooling, cut 1 cup cold unsalted butter into 1-tablespoon sized pieces. When the cream is cooled, turn on your immersion blender (or transfer into your countertop blender) and add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well after each addition and making sure it is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next piece. This will take longer than you think it will, and the cream will start to turn into a pale yellow with a thick, opaque texture.

Once all the butters have been fully incorporated, the cream is ready. Use a rubber spatula to carefully pour the mixture into the prepped shell, smoothing out the cream with the spatula so that it spreads around the tart pan evenly.

Add blackberries immediately and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours before serving. The lemon cream should be chilled to the point that it will be stable and retain its shape even when sliced. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.