Lemon Blueberry tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream

I made this for a friend’s birthday party last week, and I’ll be making this for a work barbecue potluck next wednesday. With blueberries abound both in grocery stores and the farmers markets, it’d be a shame not to incorporate them into some sort of dessert. Fruit tarts have always been a favorite of mine. I know I’ve announced my love for pies over and over again, but chilled fruit tarts, especially in the summer, are a close second. It’s the crumbly crust paired with chilled vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh fruit. Blueberries are (in my opinion) a superb choice because they are not too sweet and not too tangy. In fact, I remember years and years ago, when I was taking my SATs, my parents told me to bring blueberries, because they were “smart foods”. Ok. I know that’s nonsense and that blueberries will not suddenly boost my mental intelligence, but there was something comforting about bringing fresh blueberries as a snack during break. I still bring blueberries to work as a snack :).

I really love this because you can easily adapt it for ANY fruit. In fact, I’ve topped it with fresh peaches, mandarins, kiwis, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It’s extremely versatile and easy to prepare. The reason I bring this to a lot of potlucks or barbecues is that it can be assembled and chilled beforehand. On a particularly busy day, I can plan it this way: make the pastry the night before to chill overnight. Make the pastry cream the night before as well. The morning of the potluck, bake the crust and set aside. Go and do whatever errands I have (like a family portrait session!). Come back, fill shell with pastry cream, throw some blueberries on, brush with syrup, quickly zest a lemon. Cover with foil and tell the husband to drive to potluck. 

Do you see how fat these are? Add a simple lemon syrup, sprinkled with lemon zest, and these blueberry tarts will give little bites full of sugary, tarty, creamy goodness. I had extra crust and cream, so I decided to fill these cute little mini-tart shells I had on hand. They were a good way to test the taste. And by test… I actually mean devour. These little ones did not last, let me tell you.

Strawberry blueberry basil pie

Everyone knows that I love pies. So much, in fact, that we had pies in lieu of cakes at our wedding!!

Lemon Ice Cubes!

With summer well under way and heading to fall, the weather here in Boston is becoming humid and sticky! Ok, I’m complaining – it’s actually quite nice, mid 80s with a breeze. However, it does get hot in the apartment. We have  huge windows (which I LOVE), that face west, so we get sunlight streaming in for most of the day, which means… greenhouse effect!

One way to freshen up your drink is to make some ice cubes! Instead of just using water though, I added my favorite addition to water – lemons. I love lemons in my water. They are bright, refreshing, and add that tang that complements cold water so well. Add them to ice cubes, and you get a very pretty glass of water.