These past few weeks, I’ve sorely missed being in the kitchen. The solace, the flavors, the smells, the space that let’s me be totally present in the here and now. Yesterday, I realized how much of a void I felt for my creative outlet as I came home from another meeting. And it just kind of hit me, too–like a tsunami wave. Yes, it was fierce and hard and it jolted me back to myself. It was a wake up call to bring more balance back into my daily routine. Sometimes, I think it is necessary to inundate oneself in something while learning a new skill or getting something off the ground–those can be seriously all-encompassing procedures that don’t necessarily leave a lot of room for much else. But wouldn’t it be interesting to challenge that notion? What if we were to give ourselves the gift of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour a day, no matter what the circumstances? I’ll have to get back to you on this one after I try (try being the key word here!) it out.

The tsunami swept me into my kitchen where I decided to make a tart. I got a new tart pan a few months ago, but had not yet had the chance to use it. Now was the perfect time to make use of it! Sometimes when I want to get into the kitchen just for the sake of getting my hands dirty, I will consult others to see if they have any particular cravings: others meaning most often Andrew. Blueberry was easily decided upon (he has a serious affinity for blueberries!). So I got out our frozen blueberries, lots of butter, and set to work. And it felt great!

I used a historic recipe for both the crust and the tart itself from the Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers cookbook by Janie Hibler. (I made these cookies from it a while ago, this book is an absolute gem of Pacific Northwest goodness–the abundance of fresh, local, and seasonal recipes are outstanding!). The original recipe was extremely blueberry–a purist type of tart–Andrew’s favorite. The blueberries simply burst in your mouth and the creamy texture of the custard took on the blueberry notes, complimenting the whole fruits. I made it true to the historic recipe–and it was excellent–but of course it got me thinking how I could tweak it a bit next time. I know, I know, why mess with a good thing? Sometimes though, I just can’t help myself from trying/wondering, and then going ahead and doing!

Really old recipes can sometimes overdo the amount of cream, butter, and sugar. This was for several reasons including not letting those perishables go to waste by using them in baked goods and also as a means to show wealth. Don’t get me wrong here, this recipe is good. But I couldn’t help wondering, is it necessary to use so much cream and sugar get the same flavor sensations, textures, and overall mmmmm-factor? Not always. So below I will give you the original recipes with some variations I’ve tried which I think modernize it in a way. They still use all the good butter, cream, and sugar, but maybe varying amounts or different types.

Favorite Tart Pastry, by Janie Hibler

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the flour and butter (you can use a food processor or your stand mixer for this). Add the egg, cream, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and mix well. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Carefully fold the dough over the rolling pin and transfer to the tart pan. Push the dough into the corners with your fingers. Trim off the excess dough by running the rolling in over the top of the tart pan. Prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with a fork and bake it for 8-10 minutes.

*variation: I would add a little more lemon juice, squeeze a whole half lemon in there.

Blueberry Cream Tart
The original recipe also called for Blackberries, but I thought blueberries would be just as good–and they were!

Make Favorite Tart Pastry

2 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup heavy cream
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle the blueberries over the prepared crust and set aside. Blend the cream, egg, and sugar together. Pour over the berries. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

*variations: Try using brown sugar, and only about 3/4 cup–maybe even a half cup.

*If you use more sugar, squeeze some of that left over lemon juice over the berries before you pour the cream mixture on top, this will give it a good balance so the sugar doesn’t feel like it is just sitting on your teeth!

*Sprinkle a little cloves or cinnamon into the cream mixture–these spices are nice in the fall or winter with your frozen berries–and compliment the berry flavor wonderfully.

*You could probably do with 3/4 cup cream, although I haven’t tried this. It would just make it more custardy and less cream-like–it would be a texture preference for you.

Cheers!