sweet tart(e)

03Aug08

I really like Clotilde Dusoulier, which is a less creepy way of saying that I totally want to be Clotilde Dusoulier. While Appalachia certainly has its charms, there are days when I would very much like to be wandering the marches of Paris, two books under my belt, sampling saucissons and contemplating the new trend of rose-flavored pastries in the many patisseries I frequent. Needless to say, Johnson City has no rose-flavored pastries, although we do have more smoked-pig products than any city in France.

So when Miguk Momma returned from that time when she left me to deal with five hundred squash alone, I was thrilled to learn that she had acquired a distinct affinity for Parisian pastries. Seizing the opportunity to finally try one of Clotilde’s recipes for myself, I enlisted her help in embarking upon a culinary journey that would ultimately lead to a very short-lived tart indeed.

At first we tried looking for fresh fruit tarts, the kind that MM had so enthusiastically consumed while her daughter languished alone in the Tennessee mountains, but MM remained unconvinced that the recipes we found were authentically French. (Needless to say, the Williams-Sonoma cookbooks didn’t even get opened.) Finally, with two pints of blueberries rapidly going bad in the refrigerator, we settled on this tarte aux myrtilles.

Was it just like the ones MM had had in Paris? Well, not exactly. Not being able to locate a 9″ tart pan, we used a 10″ pan and attempted to multiply the recipe times 1.5, a decision that resulted in a crust that was perhaps inordinately sturdy. We added cherries and strawberries to further mine the bounty of aging fruit in our possession, and we found that despite our most ardent hopes, our fruits remained distinct from the custard, not explosively merging into the delectable layer of berry and creme fraiche that Clotilde achieved. Nonetheless, it made a very nice dessert, and breakfast, and afternoon snack. I came upon the pan a few days ago to find a piece of approximately 1″x1.5″ remaining. “Who did that?” I asked. “I left you a bite,” MM explained sweetly. “If I didn’t love you, I would have eaten it all.”

Anyway, this tart was good enough for me to briefly reconsider my desire to live in Paris. Briefly.

Pros: delicious, summery

Cons: more labor-intensive than the fresh-fruit variety, too fattening to eat for breakfast every day (not that this stopped anyone)

Tarte aux Myrtilles, Cerises, et Fraises

Adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

Note: this recipe follows the original proportions, as our attempts to increase those proportions were not entirely successful.

Pie dough :
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- a dash of milk

Filling :
- 1 cup blueberries

- 1 cup strawberries, sliced thin

- 1/2 cup pitted and halved sweet cherries
- 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.

Prepare the blueberries, strawberries, and cherries by washing and pitting them. Proportions can be adjusted to preference.

Take the pie crust out and lower the temperature to 180°C (360°F). Distribute the fruit over the crust, 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.

Filed under: Chocolate and Zucchini, Miguk Momma, other people's blogs, pastry, sweet, the French   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: French, pastries, summer fruits, tarts