blueberry thyme tartlets

Why choose between cooked and fresh berries when you can just do both? The raw fruit offers a plump juiciness while the compote gives you that sweet sticky jammy fruit that you love. The crust has a small amount of Chinese sesame paste that gives it an amazing toasty and nutty aroma. Its deeply roasted powerful flavor is very different from tahini. You can find it at Asian grocery stores in little jars sometimes labeled “sesame sauce”. You could replace it with peanut butter for a more classic PB and J profile, or just skip it altogether. The thyme that flourishes on the top of these tartlets can of course be omitted as well, but it brings an element of intrigue that takes it to a whole other place.

YOU WILL NEED

 4 little tarts pans 4” (10 cm)  If you don’t have them, you can use muffin tins, make them free-formed on a sheet pan, or make one bigger tart.

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust

145g flour (1 cup)

114g butter (1 stick or 1/2 cup)

1 Tablespoon sesame paste (substitute peanut butter, or skip)

66g sugar (1/3 cup) use powdered sugar preferably (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (1 g)

For the blueberry compote

180 blueberries, fresh or frozen (1 heaping cup)

60g sugar (a little under 1/3 cup)

1 teaspoon lemon juice or water

1 teaspoon corn starch

For finishing

Fresh blueberries

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Leftover crust “cookies” 

DIRECTIONS:

Make the crust.

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and crumble with your fingers, continue mixing and kneading until all the butter is melded with the flour and the dough comes together. It may seem too dry and crumbly at first, but continue mixing and it will eventually form a dough. Don’t be afraid of overworking it. 

You can either roll out the dough on a piece of parchment and cut out circles, or I find it easier to just press the crust directly into the molds. Just make sure they are of an even thickness throughout. For the 4 inch tartlet mold, place 50g of dough in each. If you use a muffin pan, they will be smaller so you can make more of them, about 5 or 6. With the leftover dough, tear it in little knobs and blobs on a separate tray to form the crumb topping.

Bake at 350F (180C) for 20 minutes. The leftover dough crumbs should be done after 15.

Let it chill.

Meanwhile, make the compote.

Put the 180g fruit and 60g sugar in a skillet or saucepan, and cook on a medium low heat until its bursting, juicy and bubbling. Let is simmer for a few minutes until slightly reduced. Mix the 1 teaspoon water or lemon juice with the 1 teaspoon corn starch and pour this into the berries. Mix well, it will start to thicken pretty quickly. When its of a good, thick, glossy sauce thickness, take off the heat and let it cool down.

To assemble,

Spread a little (or as much as you want) compote into the tart shells, top with as many fresh berries as you can fit, roughly crumble the crust “cookies”, and adorn with a scattering of plucked thyme leaves and one or two whole sprigs. 

VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

To make this vegan, use vegan butter or use a vegan shortbread recipe, adding a spoonful of sesame paste.

You can replace the Chinese sesame paste with peanut butter, or maybe tahini for a more subdued flavor, or really any nut or seed butter. (Almond butter would be good)

Any other berry could probably be used, or even small seedless grapes? They might need more or less thickening agent or reducing to get the right thickness.