The stacks of cartons holding fresh blueberries at the farmers market or grocery store are always a sure sign that summer is in full swing. Back in 1985 I ran across a recipe for a Long Island Blueberry Tart in Bon Appétit contributed by Richard Sax. He also published it later in his remarkable cookbook Classic Home Desserts. An accomplished cook and food writer, Sax founded the test kitchen at Food & Wine magazine. I was a big fan of the column he co-wrote with Marie Simmons in Bon Appétit about healthy cooking. Sadly, Richard Sax died from lung cancer in 1995 at the age of 46. His obituary in the New York Times described him as “a chef and prolific cooking writer who taught millions of readers that elegant food could be prepared in ordinary kitchens using everyday ingredients.” This tart pays wonderful tribute to his recipe development skills: indeed, it transforms the ordinary blueberry into an elegant dessert.
While I had eaten pies that were filled with cooked blueberries before, this one was different. It was FULL of berries—fresh blueberries swathed in a cooked blueberry base that had a touch of spiciness as well as citrus notes.
The base is cooked ahead of time and allowed to cool.
A couple of hours before serving, all you have to do is add fresh blueberries to the mixture and transfer to the cooled crust.
Topped with the prettiest fresh berries, the tart is gorgeous as well.
I usually make the pie with the sweet crust that Sax recommended. That recipe is available here. If you are short on time or energy, you can always use a store-bought crust or a graham cracker crust.
When blueberries are plentiful, this recipe is the one I go to. After making this tart every summer for 30 years, I can say that it’s a keeper.
Long Island Blueberry Tart
Sunnyside Cook
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 pints fresh blueberries (6 cups) --divided (see below)
- Thin strips of lemon peel for garnish
- Cooked pie crust Sweet Crust recommended
- Lightly whipped cream or ice cream optional
Instructions
- Wash berries in colander, removing any remaining stems or damaged berries. Place the clean berries on paper towels to drain well.
- Sort through to set aside one cup of most beautiful berries (these will be the final topping). Divide remaining fruit into one portion of 2 cups and another one of 3 cups. Refrigerate the 3 cup and the 1 cup portions.
- Combine sugar and lemon peel in small bowl, mixing with fork. Mix cornstarch and cinnamon into sugar mixture. Set aside.
- Combine 2 cups of berries and 1/4 cup of water in a heavy large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Mix in lemon juice, stirring well, then sugar mixture.
- Boil until thickened, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, about 3 minutes. Cover saucepan again and remove from heat. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.
- Up to two hours before serving, stir 3 cups of uncooked berries into cooked berry mixture.
- Spoon filling into crust, mounding in the center.
- Top filing with an even layer of reserved berries. Decoratively place thin strips of lemon peel on top of berry layer.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Optional: top each slice with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
I made this back in 1985 and it was incredible. I have been looking for the recipe in my archives but could not find it. Thank you for posting it. I will make it this weekend!