Blueberry Coconut Tart

Happy New Year!!... I know I'm super late : |

I've been such a bad blogger... I'm not sure where the time is going, but I'm happy to be busy, not so happy that this is my first chance to blog but late is better than not at all.  I hope the New Year is treating everyone well so far.  I've had a few unexpected occurrences  but nothing I couldn't handle.  This recipe was actually one of two desserts I made for Christmas dinner, I literally had a bite of it, and as you can see I didn't get a pic of the final product before half of it vanished...

It's getting really hard to sit still long enough to finish a post, but here goes.  This Tart is one of Mario Batali's features from The Chew, which I rarely watch, but when I saw this recipe I decided it would be good for one of our Christmas deserts. Just a warning... this recipe has a lot of steps and three different components that come together at the end so only try this if you're feeling patient.

• For the Topping:
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
• 3/4 cup Unbleached all-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Dried Coconut
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

• For the Filling:
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup Confectioners Sugar
• 2 Large Egg Yolks
• Freshly grated zest of 1 Lemon
• Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Shredded Dried Coconut

• For the Assembly:
• About 3 cups Fresh Blueberries
• 2 tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
• Confectioners' Sugar for dusting (optional)
• Tart Dough

Step #1 is to roll out the tart dough to about 1/8 inch thickness, (still not positive how the average Jane is supposed to measure that...), then neatly tuck the dough into the tart pan and place in the refrigerator until filling is ready.

Hint: Tart pan should have a removable bottom to make for easy removal for serving!

Step #2: Make topping... Melt butter in a saucepan, in a separate bowl add flour, sugar, salt, and shredded coconut, mix together.  Add vanilla extract to melted butter, then use a fork to blend the two mixtures together forming crumbles.

Spread crumbles on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator to harden for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place topping in a food processor or mini-chopper and pulse lightly to make tiny crumbs and set aside until time to assemble.

Step #3: Make filling... Using an electric mixer beat butter and confectioner's sugar until creamy.  Next add one egg at a time beating just 30 seconds after each addition.  Add lemon zest, salt and coconut, mix well and set aside.  

Step #4: Prep Blueberries... Coat blueberries with sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch (after the fact I realized I should have added some triple sec or rum to the berries, will try next time), set aside for tart assembly.

First component into the tart shell is the butter/sugar filling, spread evenly along the bottom of the tart dough.

Next add the berries and any liquid remaining in the bowl, then top with tiny crumbs spread evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees on the center rack for 35-45 minutes, or until topping browns and is lightly golden and berries begin to bubble.

I won't lie and say it was amazing, I hardly ate any, but it was gone pretty quickly, I think it was a hit.

Thanks for Reading, staying interested, and following me into the New Year...

XO