Blueberry Mascarpone Tart
This blueberry mascarpone tart from Donna Hay screams sunshine. A sweet pastry crust is filled with sweetened lemony mascarpone cheese and topped with fresh blueberries.
Ingredients
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 9 tablespoons (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ice water
For the filling and topping
- About 1 3/4 cups mascarpone*
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, preferably organic
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more dusting
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
Instructions
Make the sweet shortcrust pastry
- Place the flour, butter, and sugar in a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolks and vanilla. Add the ice water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, bring the dough together and flatten into a disc shape. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Roll the pastry out between a couple sheets of parchment paper until its 1/8-inch thick. Place the pastry into a lightly buttered 13-by-3-inch (33-by-9-cm) loose-bottomed rectangular tart tin. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill with baking weights or uncooked rice, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the weights and bake for 10 minutes more or until golden. Let cool to room temperature.
Make the filling for the tart
- While the crust is baking, make the filling by placing the mascarpone, lemon zest, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
Assemble the tart
- Spread the filling onto the cooled tart shell, strew the blueberries over the top, and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Behold!
Notes
*What can I substitute for mascarpone?
Mascarpone is one of the creamiest cheeses in the world. With nearly twice the fat of American cream cheese, it's a lush addition that makes this simple tart extraordinary. It's made by adding citric acid (lemon juice) to whole milk, and then waiting for it to set. If you don't have any on hand and don't have the time to wait for the homemade stuff, it's possible to make a pretty close approximation. While clotted cream or creme fraiche are also close, they don't have the fat content and aren't as thick. Cream cheese is the closest, fat-wise, but you'll need to add heavy cream and sour cream for the velvety texture of mascarpone. For this recipe, we've done the math for you—mix together 12 ounces of room temperature cream cheese (1 1/2 blocks) with 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup of sour cream until combined.Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 542kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 34mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g