Recipe

Blueberry-Lavender Tart

The flavor of local berries shine in this fruit pastry

Photo: Johnny Autry


Fruit tarts hold special meaning for Claudia Martinez, who grew up cooking with her Venezuelan family. “It’s my dad’s favorite dessert,”  the executive pastry chef at Miller Union in Atlanta says. “We always buy him one for his birthday.” When she’s making a fruit tart herself, puff pastry is her base of choice because of its versatility and low-maintenance shaping.

“Although I love a piecrust, I prefer the balance and texture that puff pastry gives—and the high butter content in the dough makes it delicious.” This recipe is her way of putting local Georgia blueberries to excellent use. And the combination of puff pastry and blueberries (with a hint of lavender to highlight the fruit) reminds her of the coffee cakes she had at church every Sunday growing up. Serve it with whipped cream or ice cream, or as Martinez does, with a sweet coconut sorbet to really balance out the flavors.


Find other recipes for tarts—along with a recipe for a puff pastry that’s perfect for any tart.



Ingredients

  • Blueberry-Lavender Tart (Yield: 4 small tarts)

    • 2¼ cups blueberries

    • ½ cup brown sugar

    • Zest of 1 lemon

    • ½ tsp. vanilla extract

    • 1 tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar

    • 2 tbsp. flour

    • 1½ tsp. salt

    • ½ tsp. cinnamon

    • 1 tbsp. lavender flowers (available at most specialty markets, Whole Foods, and Amazon)

    • 1 sheet puff pastry (homemade or store-bought), thawed

    • Butter

    • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    • Turbinado sugar


Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine first 9 ingredients (through lavender flowers) until well mixed. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry (it should still be cold) into a 10-inch square. Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into 4 quarters and place each piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide the blueberry mixture among the pastry pieces, dot each with a bit of butter, and fold over the edges of the pastry about ½ inch on all sides to form a crust. Chill pastry for 10 minutes in freezer.

  2. Brush crust with some beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 375ºF, and continue baking until pastry is golden brown and blueberries are bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.


Jenny Everett is a contributing editor at Garden & Gun, and has been writing the What’s in Season column since 2009. She has also served as an editor at Women’s Health, espnW, and Popular Science, among other publications. She lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with her husband, David; children, Sam and Rosie; and a small petting zoo including a labrador retriever, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a fish.