Blake Makes

I am so ready for the arrival of spring- I want to plant our tomato garden, go swimming and get tan. To hasten the season’s arrival and reward myself for getting up so early during Daylight Savings, I decided to make a Blueberry Tart. I love blueberries, and the only thing that could make them any better is to turn them into tart (or a pie- yum!). This recipe was snagged from my favorite wedding present- our Ruth Reichl autographed Gourmet cookbook. (Thanks Patrick! Totally had to brag on your gift for the millionth time, I love it that much!).

I did probably commit a cardinal Gourmet sin by substituting all frozen blueberries for fresh ones. Blake just wasn’t willing to let me make a $50.00 tart, and I can’t really blame him. However, despite my worry, the tart came out great! And here’s another picture to prove it! Plus, only 10 more days ’till spring is officially here!

Ingredients for Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick (8 TB) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 large egg yolk

Ingredients for Filling:

• 1 TB fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 8 cups blueberries
• 2 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 3 TB water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions- Crust:

• Pulse together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk and pulse until dough begins to come together but is still crumbly.
• Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick bottom of crust all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Bake crust until golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Directions- Filling:

• Combine lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and 3 cups berries in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and let soften.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Transfer blueberry mixture to a metal bowl let in a bowl of ice and cold water and stir occasionally until thickened to the consistency of raw egg white but not set, about 10 minutes.
• Fold in remaining 5 cups berries. Pour filling into crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate tart, loosely covered, until set, at least 4 hours.
• Let tart stand at room temperature for 1 hour before removing rim of pan. Serve tart with whipped cream.

The tart can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Hello, Blake Makers. I’ve been getting e-mails and comments about a Blake Makes Thanksgiving. Sorry posts have been slow in coming lately, but this was the first year Bridget and I hosted the holiday at our house. We had family come to New Orleans from back home, and planning took a lot of time and energy. You may also know that I own my own marketing firm, and although initial indications were that things would slow down for the holidays, I’m busier than ever. I got 4 new clients the day before Thanksgiving! That’s my excuse, but Thanksgiving continues below.

We have a small kitchen, so Bridget and I had to be smart about the dinner. We outsourced the turkey, dressing and gravy to Langenstein’s (a local grocery store renowned for their holiday catering). I have to say that I was a little concerned about what the in-laws would think of me ordering out the centerpiece of America’s annual gorge-fest. Luckily for me, it was delicious.

The turkey was about 15 lbs. and they baked it. When I picked it up, it looked like the turkey on the cover of Gourmet this month. The skin was dark mahogany, and studded with herbs and spices. A spoon through the gravy revealed turkey bits and giblets, so I knew it was going to be good. Now, the only thing left was the dressing.

I ordered two kinds: cornbread and oyster (since this is New Orleans). The oyster dressing was ok, a little salty and a little too much celery for me, but the cornbread was divine. And by divine I mean it tasted like my granny made it. It was sweet, no doubt made from the sugary, cake-like cornbread that’s standard on most dinner tables in the South.

The sides were pretty standard. Bridget made mac & cheese, and green bean casserole (the kind with French fried onions). Bridget’s mom brought her famous sweet potatoes (I love you Mommer!), so let me take a moment to describe this spectacular dish.

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