March 15, 2011

To Try Tuesday - Bill's Berry Tart







Math never was my strong point so it is no big surprise that I missed Pi Day.  I had this great idea that I would make Bill Granger's Cherry Tart to celebrate Pi Day (even though it is, technically, a tart not a pie) but I ended up having 3.14159265 other things to do, so it became a To Try recipe instead.





I planned on using cherries but Costco did not have any and I didn't want to be stuck with a big bag of frozen cherries.  So I went with blueberries instead, using about 2 cups of whole berries to make a single layer in the tart shell.  It therefore became Bill's Berry Tart.





There is not one thing about this tart that I would change - it was amazing.  If you are looking for a easy-to-make dessert that will impress your family and friends then this is your dessert.  Cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even a mix of berries would be great in the filling.  I loved that the crust was a cinch to make and it did not have to be rolled out.  You know how the crust can shrink sometimes when you are pre-baking? Not with this one.  Also, those pie weights that you use to stop air pockets forming in the crust? Well, you will not need them for this crust. Simply make crust in less than 5 minutes, pre-bake, fill with fruit, pour custard over the top, and bake once more.  Mine baked for 35 minutes, so realistically you could have this pie ready in about an hour.  I sprinkled mine with a little powdered sugar after it cooled, but this is optional.  Ice cream or whipped cream would be a nice addition too.  Lastly, the original recipe was in metric, so if you prefer these measurements you can find the recipe here.





Bill’s Berry Tart
(Printer Friendly Version)

Ingredients

Pastry
  • ½ cup (1 stick) + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
  • ⅓ cup sugar 
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour 
  • a pinch of salt 
  • 2 tablespoons of ground almonds 
Filling 
  • ⅔ cup cream 
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
  • 16 oz cherries, halved and pitted 
 Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease a 9-inch round loose-bottomed tart tin. 

To make the pastry:
  1. Stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the flour and salt and stir to make a soft dough.
  3. Press dough evenly into base and side of tart tin with fingertips.
  4. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 mins, until pastry is slightly puffy.
  5. Remove from oven and sprinkle almond meal over base.

To make filling:
  1. Whisk together cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar. 
  2. Add flour and whisk until well mixed.
  3. Arrange cherries over pastry base and pour cream filling over cherries.
  4. Bake for 40-50 minutes until filling is firm.
  5. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice-cream.

Serves 8-10.  Original recipe appears in Holiday by Bill Granger.


19 comments:

  1. Hehe I wasn't any good at maths either! We're in good company I think (and this tart-yum!). I love berries with cream as it really offsets the tartness of berries :)

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  2. This tart sounds good, I like filling with cherries especially :)

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  3. This looks tasty!! The Costco size of ANYTHING is intimidating :) I wish we had Costco here-- I miss it from my Kama'aina days!!

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  4. I'd make it with blueberries in fact they would be my first choice. My favorite fruit!
    The tart looks amazing. Such a good recipe for Pi...Pie day :)

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  5. That pie looks perfect - chock full of blue goodies!!

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  6. This is lovely! Can't wait for berries to be in season over here.

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  7. I love how you had other plans but ended up with this, because this looks fabulous! I love blueberries and you're totally right about impressing others.. tarts always seem to do that :)

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  8. I love love blue berries..they looks great.

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  9. Love, love, LOVE this!

    Not only does this tart look delicious, but I adore the fact that you are celebrating Pi Day even though you have 3.14 things to do.

    My husband is a mathematician so I shouldn't have missed this very special day. Now I know how to celebrate... with your amazing tart!

    Thank you!!

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  10. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits so I am drooling looking at your amazing tart! Happy belated Pi Day!

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  11. I wouldn't worry about missing PI day, really that could be every day if it were up to me. Your tart is beautiful, blueberry season is sneaking up on us here in Seattle. Can't wait to try!

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  12. This tart certainly looks lovely, I can only imagine the flavor being amazing as well!

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  13. This looks absolutely heavenly!

    Susan www.ugogrrl.com

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  14. such pretty pictures! this looks so fresh and decadent!

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  15. Oh how wonderful, this looks delish. I am a new follower and I will happily add your blog and bills pie to my post on Monday. Hugs!

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