Blueberry–Lemon Curd Tart (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Sugar
27 grams with crust (down from 42)
Ingredients
Tart Crust
1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup (1⅓ ounces/38 grams) Sucanat 1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilledFilling
¼ cup lemon zest plus ½ cup juice (4 lemons), divided1 large egg plus 5 large yolks⅓ cup plus ¼ cup honey, dividedPinch plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled2 tablespoons heavy cream 10 ounces (283 grams/2 cups) blueberries 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons waterBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1 or the dough will look speckled and be difficult to roll out. If the dough is soft or sticky, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. If using frozen blueberries, be sure to thaw them fully before cooking.
Instructions
- Whisk egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in bowl. Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Process flour, ground Sucanat, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter chilled butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With processor running, add egg yolk mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.
- Form dough into 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
- Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners and fluted sides of pan with your other hand. Run rolling pin over top of pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is chilled and firm, about 30 minutes. (Dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet, line with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove weights and foil and let crust cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Measure out and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside. Whisk remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, egg and yolks, ⅓ cup honey, and pinch salt in medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 165 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in chilled butter until melted. Strain lemon curd through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, then gently stir in cream with rubber spatula.
- Pour warm lemon curd into cooled tart crust. Set tart on baking sheet and bake until filling is shiny and opaque and center jiggles slightly when shaken, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer tart with baking sheet to wire rack and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, process blueberries in food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain puree through clean fine-mesh strainer into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (you should have about ¾ cup); discard solids.
- Whisk in remaining ¼ cup honey and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt. Whisk cornstarch and water together in small bowl, then whisk into strained blueberry mixture. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened slightly and registers 170 degrees, about 4 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in reserved 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Pour blueberry mixture evenly over cooled lemon filling. Tap pan lightly on counter to release any air bubbles, then refrigerate until blueberry mixture is set and shiny, about 2 hours. To serve, remove outer ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and tart pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter or cutting board.
for the tart crust
for the filling
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 8Sugar
27 grams with crust (down from 42)Ingredients
Tart Crust
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Tart Crust
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Tart Crust
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our low-sugar, honey-sweetened lemon curd was a good starting point, but we quickly realized that we would need to balance out the curd with another, complementary flavor element. We thought that blueberry would be a perfect candidate, providing complementary brightness and a little warmth. We pureed the blueberries, strained them, added some cornstarch, cooked the mixture until it was thick and glossy, and poured it over our set lemon curd layer. The resulting tart was visually stunning—the blueberry layer had a beautiful satiny shine, and the two distinct layers made for a striking cross-section when sliced. To ensure sliceability without diminishing the shine, we tried increasing the amount of cornstarch. Unfortunately, the mixture quickly became too thick, gummy, and opaque. After rigorous testing with varying cooking times, temperatures, and concentrations, we realized that the answer lay in temperature: Cooking the mixture to about 170 degrees produced a shiny, sliceable, and velvety blueberry layer.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1 or the dough will look speckled and be difficult to roll out. If the dough is soft or sticky, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. If using frozen blueberries, be sure to thaw them fully before cooking.
Instructions
- Whisk egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in bowl. Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Process flour, ground Sucanat, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter chilled butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With processor running, add egg yolk mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.
- Form dough into 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
- Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners and fluted sides of pan with your other hand. Run rolling pin over top of pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is chilled and firm, about 30 minutes. (Dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet, line with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove weights and foil and let crust cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Measure out and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside. Whisk remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, egg and yolks, ⅓ cup honey, and pinch salt in medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 165 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in chilled butter until melted. Strain lemon curd through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, then gently stir in cream with rubber spatula.
- Pour warm lemon curd into cooled tart crust. Set tart on baking sheet and bake until filling is shiny and opaque and center jiggles slightly when shaken, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer tart with baking sheet to wire rack and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, process blueberries in food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain puree through clean fine-mesh strainer into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (you should have about ¾ cup); discard solids.
- Whisk in remaining ¼ cup honey and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt. Whisk cornstarch and water together in small bowl, then whisk into strained blueberry mixture. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened slightly and registers 170 degrees, about 4 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in reserved 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Pour blueberry mixture evenly over cooled lemon filling. Tap pan lightly on counter to release any air bubbles, then refrigerate until blueberry mixture is set and shiny, about 2 hours. To serve, remove outer ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and tart pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter or cutting board.
for the tart crust
for the filling
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