I guess it’s not a secret I love tarts. I drool over pretty much any version of this incredibly delicious sweet confection: apple tart, mixed fruit tart, chocolate frangipane tart, jam tart, lemon meringue tart, ricotta tart, raspberry and chocolate tart, nectarine tart, fig tart…it looks like I’m having a Bubba moment here, so I’m gonna stop with the list!
A tart crust is like a blank canvas for delicious and colorful fillings, and summer fruits are definitely the most fun ingredients to decorate them with! They provide color, freshness, a variety of textures…and they’re so pretty!
Blueberries were the perfect filling for these little whole wheat tartlets. I mixed fresh and cooked berries, and topped each tartlet with a nice sprinkle of chopped toasted hazelnuts. In one bite, you’ve got the wholesomeness of the crust, the sweetness and juiciness of the cooked blueberries, the mild acidity and plumpness of the fresh ones, and the crunchiness and nuttiness of the hazelnuts. In one word, you’re tasting “awesomeNESS”.
For the sake of this blog, I baked more tartlets than 2 wise adults should eat in a few day’s span: a total five 4.75-inch tartlets. I’ll let you imagine how much of a terrible sacrifice was to eat them (and share them with my husband) for 3 consecutive days!
I normally don’t add anything to my desserts (until not long ago I had no idea what à la mode meant)…but these little Whole Wheat Blueberry Hazelnut Tartlets are even more delicious with a nice dollop of whipped cream on the side.
- CRUST
- 150 g (5.3 oz or 1 cup + 2 Tbsp) whole wheat pastry flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz or 1 scant cup) all-purpose flour
- 150 g (5.3 oz or ⅔ cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 100 g (3.5 oz or ½ cup + 1 Tbsp) pure cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- the seeds of half a vanilla bean
- a pinch of salt
- FILLING
- 500 g (about 3½ cup) fresh blueberries, divided
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 170 g (6 oz or 1 scant cup) of pure cane sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- TOPPING
- a handful of toasted hazelnuts, chopped
- whipped cream (on the side)
- Sift flours on a clean surface. Form a wide well in the center.
- Add cubed cold butter and sugar in the middle. Work with your fingertips the ingredients in the center, without touching the flour on the sides. Add egg, vanilla, and salt to butter/sugar mixture. Once all the inner ingredients are well mixed, bring in the flour and work the dough until smooth and uniform. Be careful not to overwork it.
- Cover dough in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 360F (180C).
- Butter and flour your tartlet pans. Roll out dough with a rolling pin and line each tartlet pan with it. Trim dough in excess from the pan borders and prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Use pie weights during baking to prevent crust from rising (see notes).
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- In a saucepan, bring ½ cup of water and 1 cup of berries to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries start to break down (about 4-6 min), occasionally stirring.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add to berry mixture and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and it's not too liquid.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in 2 cups of berries, reserving ½ cup for garnishing.
- Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts and add more fresh blueberries.
- Serve your whole wheat blueberry hazelnut tartlets with some whipped cream on the side.
- If you don't have pie weights, you can line your uncooked crust uncooked crust with a circle of parchment paper and fill it with rice or dry beans.
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