simple blueberry swirled lemon custard tart
Much like a key lime pie, except subbed out with tangy lemon juice and an easy homemade blueberry jam. This tart really is simple, fresh and bright, perfect baking to prep for and welcome the weekend.
I think everyone should occupy part of their countertop with a bowl of lemons. They’re beyond useful to have around in plenty, and when you don’t I’m willing to gander than you absolutely need one and then abandon whatever lemon project sashayed around. Like pennies. Seem trivial and like a filler for better things, but then suddenly your total is $1.01 at the register and you feel like a buffoon handing over $2 and receiving the entire register’s worth of change to heavy your wallet.
Ergo, don’t be a buffoon. Buy the lemons, keep the lemons, and instead of lemonade, make a tart.
A few different prep sets happen for this recipe, but none of them are hard and mostly involve hands off time. First, the jam. Simmer down some fresh or frozen blueberries with sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch to create a relatively thick preserve. This is the divine azure swirl lacing around the tart.
While the jam reduces, prepare the crust. A food processor (or, if you don’t have, a tightly-sealed ziptop bag and a rolling pin) mashes lots of pretzels into a fine crumb. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then pat into a tart or pie pan and bake for a bit to adhere. Both the jam and the crust cool while you complete the Three Musketeers of tart making, finalizing the friendship with the filling.
Just a few handy ingredients go into the filling. Remember those lemons I demanded you buy? Squeeze the crap out of them. 5 lemons yielded the required amount of juice and one offered up the zest, but if you curse yourself for lacking lemons even after my direction but own a bottle of lemon juice, that works, too. In fact, if your hands are covered in cuts and scrapes, better avoid squeezing lemons so you aren’t screaming expletives to the whole neighborhood. The taste of fresh juice is beyond anything in a bottle, though!
Separate five yolks from their white counterparts. Whisk them up, then add the juice and zest, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pour the lemon custard into the prepared crust. Swirl the blueberry jam around, lick the spoon clean, then pop the pan into the oven for a brief bake. The pie must chill for a bit to become that thick, smooth texture we all know and love. After that, dive right in.
My suggestion? Add whipped cream, as much as you please, and some fresh blueberries, perhaps a touch more lemon zest.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
A few of my favorite blueberry recipes:
Swirled Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake with Gingered Streusel
Balsamic Blueberry Basil Smash
Ingredients
- 4 cups mini pretzels
- 8 tbsp butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a tart pan or pie pan with oil or butter.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-low. Add blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until berries break down and become jammy, stirring and smashing the berries with a wooded spoon occasionally. Remove from heat.
- In a food processor, chop pretzels until fine crumbs form. Pour into a bowl and stir in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Press into prepared tart or pie pan until evenly distributed. It will rise up the sides of the pan but possibly not the entire way up.
- Bake 12 minutes until toasted and firm. Let cool while you prepare the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Stir until creamy. Carefully pour over the pie crush, scraping any remnants in the bowl with a spatula.
- Dollop blueberry jam over the lemon filling. Lightly swirl with a butterknife to create desired pattern.
- Bake 15-18 minutes until top is just set. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then cover and transfer to the fridge to chill at least an hour. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
