Blueberry tart

In my recent In My Kitchen post, I mentioned buying rather a lot of blueberries. 5 cups worth, in fact. I know this because I measured out 4 cups for this blueberry tart. It was an excellent use of the fruit, and still allowed me a cup to gobble up fresh.

I don't regularly make tarts, but making vegan lemon meringue pie sparked some interest in pie and tart-based desserts. The base for this tart is actually identical to that for the lemon meringue pie, and the filling is adapted from the lemon equivalent.

As I adapted the recipe as I went along, I wasn't certain on how much setting agent (vegan gelatin) to use for the filling. I thought I would need less than for the lemon meringue pie, but in fact I probably should have kept the amount the same. The tart was a little runny (although it did firm up after a day in the fridge) and I have increased the amount of gelatin in the recipe below.

I also made a guess at how much sugar to use. I thought I got the amount right, but Mr Bite thought it wasn't sweet enough. He does like sweet things, but probably no more than the average person, so you may want to increase the sugar if catering to conventional tastes. I found the amount listed to offset the tartness of the berries without hiding it altogether.

Blueberry tart

An easy dessert that is enjoyable hot or cold

Make 1 tart

Vegan

Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts

Print recipe

Ingredients

For the base

1 cup / 230g plain flour

1/2 cup / 120g non-dairy spread

1 tbsp sugar

Pinch salt

Dash of cold water, as needed to bring the dough together

For the blueberry filling

4 cups blueberries

2/3 cups (160g) caster sugar

2 tbsp corn flour

1/4 teaspoon vegan gelatin or agar powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

Method

To make the tart base, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, and then rub in the non-dairy spread with your fingers. Add a drizzle of water to bring the dough together, if needed. Roll the dough out to 1-2cm (1/2 inch) thick and arrange in the bottom of a pie tin. Put in the fridge while you heat your oven to 200'C (400'F).

When the oven is ready, prick the pastry at the bottom of the pie tin, and then cover the pastry with baking paper. Fill with enough baking beans, nuts or seeds to hold the paper down. Bake for 10 minutes, until just firm and turning golden.

While the crust is baking, make the blueberry filling. Put all of the ingredients (berries, sugar, corn flour, vegan gelatin, salt, water, lemon juice) in a non-stick saucepan and bring to simmering point, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. Once simmering, stir constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture has thickened. 

When the base has cooked for 10 minutes, pour in the blueberry filling and return to the oven. Reduce heat to 160'C and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving, or cool completely if preferred.

Do you enjoy tart / pie desserts?

Tweet

Pin It