Blueberry and lemon curd swirl Tart

I really wanted to post this recipe a long time ago, but like with most small things which get lost very fast the picture and the recipe got lost into the depths of my PC. This tart was basicially a left-over creation. As you may have recognised I'm in love with the lemon curd used in this cake and used it several times making desserts. I had some curd left and thought about using it for a tart filling, but it was supposed to contain some fruits and to be made quick and easy. The only thing I had at hand where some frozen blueberries but the flavour- and colour combination seemed to be promising to me. For the crust I used the (one and only) tart crust recipe which came with one of the Daring Bakers challenges (Bakewell tart).

Crust:

• 225g all purpose flour
• 30g sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 110g unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside. Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm thickness. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover the dough with parchment paper and fill with dry peas, beans or rice. This will prevent the dough from rising. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and filling and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

Lemon curd:

• 3 eggs
• zest of 1 lemon
• 110 grams sugar
• 160 grams lemon juice
• 1 sheet of gelatin
• 50 grams butter, cut into small cubes

Whisk the eggs, lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice. Place the bowl over a water bath and whisk constantly until it thickens. It will start to make ribbons. In the meantime, have the gelatin softening in ice water. Squeeze out excess water and when curd has thickened, add the gelatin to the bowl. Strain this curd through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Using a blender, start mixing the curd and adding the small pieces of butter. The curd will start to change in color and become lighter. Let cool for some hours. (As I had some leftovers, mine was ready for use.)

Blueberry filling:

• 300 g frozen or fresh blueberries
• about 6-7 tablespoons dark fruit jam or jelly (blackberry, blueberry or similar)
• one tabelspoon corn starch (only if you use frozen berries)

Fill the lemon curd into a piping bag and use the curd making circles on the crust, starting on the outside, leaving 2-3 cm wide gaps in between. Fill the gaps with the blueberries or blueberry filling. For the filling, thaw the frozen ones and collect the juice. Mix with the corn starch in a small pot and heat until it thickens. Add the jam, beating so you prevent getting lumps. Let cool and stir in the blueberries. If using the fresh ones, warm the jam afterwards and spread carefully over the fruits.