Hello, good morning, and happy Saturday! It is officially August which means summer is coming to a close. I have finally wrapped up all of my recipes for this month and am happy to say that this is the first of six recipes headed your way.
August is a bit of a tricky month in terms of recipes. It’s typically the hottest month of the year around here, but with school starting everyone is expecting and anticipating fall related things. And as a person who loves fall and fall baking specifically, I have to choose if I want to reflect that or stick to flavors that are more technically in season. So the first couple recipes are very summery and the ones towards the end of the month are shifting towards more autumnal flavors.
But lets circle back to this tart. When I first started testing for this one I have to say that I wasn’t incredibly jazzed about it. I found the blackberry lavender ginger combination promising, but at the end of the day floral and fruity flavors are just not as exciting to me as something with spices or maybe chocolate. But after the first test I was immediately excited about it. First of all, the blackberry curd is such a bright and pretty color, and the tart is so delicate but still bursting with flavor. So speaking from experience, this is a recipe you want to get excited about.
Describe this Tart to me
Tase: The crust of this tart has a ginger background taste that serves mainly to compliment the other two flavors rather that distracting from them. The custard has a subtle lavender flavor that ties together beautifully with the bright and zingy blackberry curd. These flavors work together to create a tart that’s both bright and interesting, while also maintaining delicate florals and other background complementary flavors.
Texture: The crust of this is similar to that of a graham cracker or Oreo crust. It’s stable enough to hold the tart together but still has a delicate crumb when you eat it. The custard is creamy and stable, without feeling heavy or tacky in any way, while the blackberry curd on top adds this bright and refreshing texture.
Ease: This tart is of medium difficulty, with three different but not overly-difficult layers. The crust is simple and easy to throw together, made up of only four ingredients. The custard is a little harder just because it involves both infusing the milk with lavender and all the typical tricky bits that custard involves like tempering eggs. The curd is in my opinion actually a little easier that your classic lemon curd because it’s a little less delicate. It does still take some time, but its well worth the wait.
The Crust
This is a pretty simple and quick crust, but one that creates a very stable base for this tart. It’s similar to an Oreo crust where it starts with crushed up cookies which get mixed with some melted butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Then all that’s left is to press it into a tart pan and bake for about 8 minutes so that it can get a nice and sturdy structure.
The Custard
This is a pretty straightforward custard with the added twist of the lavender. We start by heating up our cream on low heat with a little lavender and letting it steep for a little bit to really absorb the flavor. Once we do that, we drain the lavender out and let the cream come back up to temp. Once it’s simmering we can pour it over some egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to temper the eggs. We let that all cook together for a little while longer while the egg yolks and cornstarch work to thicken the custard up enough to hold shape in the tart. This custard isn’t as intimidating as it may seem, and it really makes a delicious tart filling.
The Curd
This is a twist on a classic lemon curd and it actually isn’t as different as it may seem. We add whole frozen blackberries to our egg and sugar mixture which will cook along slowly with the eggs, during which time they’ll start to break down and the curd will start to turn a beautiful shade of purple. A little added cornstarch ensures that this curd will hold its shape in the tart shell, without having to compromise the flavor or refreshing texture.
Blackberry Lavender and Ginger Custard Tart
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are broken down into a fine crumb, with no big chunks. Pour the cookie crumbs into a large mixing bowl, and add in the melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir together until the mixture resembles the texture of wet sand.
- Press the mixture into the tart pan, making sure to pack it as tightly as possible. I try to prioritize the sides of the crust before the bottom, just to make it a little easier. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the mixture tightly.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, or until mostly set. Let it cool completely before filling.
- Add the heavy cream and culinary lavender to a large saucepan. Heat over low heat, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Pour the cream through a sieve and into a medium sized heat safe bowl to remove the lavender. Rinse out the saucepan a little to get rid of any lavender that might have stuck to the pan. Then, add the cream back to the saucepan, running it through the sieve again. Bring it to a simmer over medium high heat.
- As the cream is coming to a simmer, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium sized heat safe bowl. Add the cornstarch on top but don't mix it in yet.
- Once the cream is simmering, slowly and carefully stream about ½ cup of the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Next, slowly pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the remaining cream in the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until thickened, but still pourable.
- Run the custard through a sieve and into the cooled crust. Spread into an even layer. Let the custard cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before covering with cling wrap and refrigerating for at least 2 hours.
- While the custard is setting in the fridge, make the curd. In a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the blackberries and lemon juice and use a wooden spoon to mix everything together. Place on a burner and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. As you stir, try to use the wooden spoon to break up some of the blackberries. The curd should thicken during this time.
- Once thickened, run the mixture through a mesh sieve and into a medium sized heat safe bowl. This will remove any seeds and blackberry clumps. Add the butter to the curd and stir until completely melted and combined. The residual heat from cooking the curd will be enough to melt the butter. Let the curd cool in the bowl for 10 minutes before covering with cling wrap (so that the cling wrap is touching the surface of the curd), and refrigerating for 1 hour.
- After chilling for an hour in the refrigerator, remove the cling wrap from the top of both the curd and the custard filled tart. Spread the curd in an even layer on top of the custard. Cover gently with cling wrap. Chill for three hours, or overnight.
- Slice the tart into desired number of slices and enjoy! Leftover tart lasts up to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.