Beautiful Fresh Blueberry Curd Tart with Chocolate Cookie Crust

I grew up in a little grey house that always looked like it was about to trip down our hill. We abutted a closed quarry, which was some of the last open acreage in the city of Boston. Although the bustling city lay outside the front door, out the back was a tiny forested oasis. Sirens at night were balanced by the calls of peepers and crickets. It seems hard to believe that such a place existed, and in point of fact, it doesn’t anymore. At least not there. Still, because of that little plot, my childhood was filled with climbing trees barefoot, or pretending to be magical fairies in our little rocky garden, then picking small wild blueberries in the small scrub oak forest behind the house.

The taste of those tart little berries are crystalized in my mind – an ideal of what a blueberry should be. Wild blueberries are very different than many of the commercial ones we buy in the store: They are a deeper blue, much less sweet, and they have an almost-herbaceous scent. I adore them. I’m lucky to live in an area that has loads of pick-your-own berry farms, and although not wild like the ones I grew up with, some of those farm blueberries are not altogether ‘tame’, either!

Sweet, plump, and juicy, after a day of picking I knew that I needed to do something special with these yummy berries. I wanted a flavorful desert, but something not terribly time consuming. What I came up with was a tart. A pressed cookie crust, and a base of fresh blueberry curd. Simple, sweet, and highlighting the amazing taste I want from a blueberry!

I used simple chocolate wafers (you could also use chocolate graham crackers in a pinch!), blitzed in the food processor, and added a little sugar, butter, and salt. Pressed into a tart pan and then blind baked for ten minutes, this tart shell is easy-peasy!

The blueberry curd is made in a similar way to a traditional lemon curd, but with one extra step: The berries are first cooked in a little sugar and currant-flavored Creme de Cassis, to highlight the tartness of the blueberries. After boiling to a jammy consistency, you’ll press the juices out and then add sugar, eggs, and a little lemon juice. Boiled once again and allowed to thicken, the fresh blueberry curd is poured into the tart shell and placed into the refrigerator to set for a few hours.

Top with fresh berries, flowers, and maybe even a dollop of whipped cream, and you have a fresh & flavorful homemade blueberry tart that will show you just how lovely blueberries can be! The lesson I’ve learned from this dessert? A delicious, and elegant looking, baked dessert doesn’t have to be complicated!

Blueberry Curd & Chocolate Cookie Tart

makes one 9 inch tart

For the Crust

190 grams (or 3/4 of a package) Nabisco ‘Famous Chocolate Wafers’

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt

For the Blueberry Concentrate

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon creme de cassis

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Blueberry Curd

3/4 cup cooked blueberry juice

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 eggs

4 tablespoons salted butter

1 teaspoon creme de cassis

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

To Make the Crust

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a tart pan with a round of parchment paper. Reserve.

In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers until finely ground.

Place the crushed wafers into a bowl, add the sugar, and pinch of salt.

Add the melted butter to the bowl, and mix to combine.

Transfer the crust ‘dough’ into the prepared tart pan and press down to spread; you want to have an even crust across the bottom, and up at least partway along the sides of the tart shell.

Once shaped, bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Blueberry Concentrate

Add 2 cups of fresh blueberries to a medium saucepan, along with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon creme de cassis, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Mix completely.

Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often. Let come to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, until thick and jammy.

Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the jammy mixture into the sieve. Press the jam with a rubber spatula to collect the juice.

Discard the blueberry skins left in the sieve, and reserve the bowl of blueberry concentrate.

To Make the Curd

In a saucepan, add 3/4 cup of cooled blueberry concentrate, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, fork-whisk the 3 eggs and then add to the blueberry mixture. Whisk to combine.

Place over medium heat, and cook until thickened, while whisking continuously. The liquid will turn from a frothy consistency into a thickened curd in 3-6 minutes.

Let the curd come to a simmer, and cook for 1 extra minute, while whisking.

Take the curd off the heat and stir in the butter with a rubber spatula. After incorporating the butter completely, add the 1 teaspoon each of creme de cassis and lemon juice, to boost the flavors.

Let cool slightly.

To Assemble

Pour the slightly cooled curd into the pre-baked tart shell. Smooth with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Serve with berries, whipped cream, and the extra blueberry reduction as a delicious dessert sauce!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Beautiful Fresh Blueberry Curd Tart with Chocolate Cookie Crust

Sweet, plump, and juicy, after a day of picking I knew that I needed to do something special with these yummy berries. I wanted a flavorful desert, but something not terribly time consuming. What I came up with was a tart. A pressed cookie crust, and a base of fresh blueberry curd. Simple, sweet, and highlighting the amazing taste I want from a blueberry!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: brunch, Dessert

Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 190 grams or 3/4 of a package Nabisco ‘Famous Chocolate Wafers’
• 6 tablespoons butter melted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• pinch of salt

For the Blueberry Concentrate

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon creme de cassis
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Blueberry Curd

• 3/4 cup cooked blueberry juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 teaspoon creme de cassis
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

To Make the Crust

• Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a tart pan with a round of parchment paper. Reserve.
• In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers until finely ground.
• Place the crushed wafers into a bowl, add the sugar, and pinch of salt.
• Add the melted butter to the bowl, and mix to combine.
• Transfer the crust ‘dough’ into the prepared tart pan and press down to spread; you want to have an even crust across the bottom, and up at least partway along the sides of the tart shell.
• Once shaped, bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Blueberry Concentrate

• Add 2 cups of fresh blueberries to a medium saucepan, along with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon creme de cassis, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Mix completely.
• Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often. Let come to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, until thick and jammy.
• Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the jammy mixture into the sieve. Press the jam with a rubber spatula to collect the juice.
• Discard the blueberry skins left in the sieve, and reserve the bowl of blueberry concentrate.

To Make the Curd

• In a saucepan, add 3/4 cup of cooled blueberry concentrate, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, fork-whisk the 3 eggs and then add to the blueberry mixture. Whisk to combine.
• Place over medium heat, and cook until thickened, while whisking continuously. The liquid will turn from a frothy consistency into a thickened curd in 3-6 minutes.
• Let the curd come to a simmer, and cook for 1 extra minute, while whisking.
• Take the curd off the heat and stir in the butter with a rubber spatula. After incorporating the butter completely, add the 1 teaspoon each of creme de cassis and lemon juice, to boost the flavors.
• Let cool slightly.

To Assemble

• Pour the slightly cooled curd into the pre-baked tart shell. Smooth with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• Serve with berries, whipped cream, and the extra blueberry reduction as a delicious dessert sauce!

Notes

Remember to let your tart set in the chiller for a few hours before serving.