Song of the Week of 2/12/99 ~ " Have You Ever Been
Lonely ?"


Recipe of the Week ~ " Take Me Back in Your Tart " Blueberry Tart


This is just about the time of year people may begin to feel the post-holiday blues, so to cheer them up, may I present a great little recipe for fresh " blue " berry tart that I made in my Home Economics class in junior high school. Why not bake up this little blues chaser, invite some of your friends over, and dig in! Then you won't be lonely or blue... unless of course, you happen to drop some of the filling on your shirt!

You'll need

  • 1 cup of blueberries *( fresh preferred --they are usually available all year, although when out-of-season they cost more.)
  • 3/4 cups sugar + 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 3 tbsp. corn starch
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 6 tbsp. cold butter
  • 1 cup of flour
  • water
  • flan pan (can be found in baking supplies section or at most gourmet/ethnic speciality shops)

    In a large bowl stir together the flour, 1 tbsp. sugar and the salt and then blend with a pastry blender until ingredients are pea size. In a small bowl, stir together the yolk, lemon juice and 1 tbsp. water and sprinkle it over the flour mix, stirring with a fork. Add a little more water as necessary to make the dough stay together. Shape the pastry into a ball with your hands and then press the dough about 1/8 " thick into a flan pan. Place the flan pan in the refrigerator while you are making the filling. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

    To make the filling: Stir together water and cornstarch in a small sauce pan until smooth. Stir in the sugar and then add the blueberries and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until thickened. Allow berry mix to cool and then spoon into shell, making sure not to fill more than 2/3 full. Bake in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking for another 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool in flan ring for another 15 minutes before you remove it to the cooling rack.
    * You can substitute fresh raspberries or strawberries, or make a mix all three if you want. 1