Blueberry-Lemon Curd Tartlets with Almond Crust

The perfect use for our gorgeous pink blueberry lemon curd, these pastry tartlets are flavored and decorated with almonds. Each tartlet is a miniature delight, yet sufficient to share with a loved one (or keep to yourself, of course, you gannet).

When we saw how striking our blueberry lemon curd turned out, we knew it wouldn’t be enough simply to slather it on some toast (as delicious as that might be). Something that gorgeous and cheeky deserved to be showcased – and this was our solution: adorable little blueberry lemon curd tartlets. A shortcrust base generously flavored with ground almonds and a little fresh rosemary, pre-baked, cooled, and filled with the curd, which we decorated wth more ground and sliced almonds, some fresh blueberries and a few flowering mint sprigs.

Months ago, I saw a beautiful photo of curd tarts from a fantastic blog called Adventures in Cooking, and I’ve been itching to make my own version since. Thank you, Eva, for the inspiration!

As I’ve admitted before, I’m not the most confident baker in the family (that would be Matt, followed by Arya the pup, then one of the cats, possibly a chicken, then me), but even my rudimentary pastry skills were good enough for this easy (as pie!) crust. The process is much more like making a cookie than traditional flaky crusts, so there’s no cutting in cold butter, no ice water and no rolling out.

Just divide the dough into even balls, then use your fingers to smush (technical term) the dough into the tins. Make sure to push it into the sides and flat on the bottom so it gives you a nice fluted edge when you remove the tin.

The result is very much like a shortbread cookie, which in my mind is a damn fine accompaniment to blueberry lemon curd. We decided that almonds should be the main flavor of the crust, since they compliment both lemon and berry flavors. The rosemary is a bit of a wild card, but I love the light herbal hint it adds. It’s not very strong and you should of course feel free to leave it out, but if you like rosemary and have some around, I highly recommend trying it.

This recipe makes enough dough for quite a thick crust for 6 (5-inch) mini tarts (use ones with removable bottoms if you value your sanity). If you like a thinner crust, you can cut the ingredient amount by a third (or make the whole recipe, use a little less in each tin and freeze the leftover dough for another time). I like having about equal thickness cookie crust to curd filling so that’s what this will give you. You can also use a single 9-inch tin, though again, you won’t need to use all the dough.

The crusts will puff a bit when they bake, but will settle back as they cool. If your edges look messy, you can trim them up by running a sharp serrated knife along the top edge of the tin before you remove the crusts. Make sure to wait for them to fully cool before you do this, and also before you take them out of the tins.

I like to make the curd a few hours ahead (or even a couple of days ahead), so once the crusts are cooled, they just need to be filled, decorated and served.  Easy peasy!

The crusts can also be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container, but wait to fill them until the day you plan to serve them to ensure they stay crisp. Once filled, they can be stored back in the refrigerator. Note: The tart in the photo above had been out in the heat (and photography lights) for over an hour, which is why it’s a little drippy.

We think they’re the perfect finish to a summer party. And wouldn’t they be a gorgeous dessert for a wedding or baby shower? Each tart is big enough for 2 people to share so these make enough for 12 guests.

Serve them chilled, directly from the fridge, and they’ll be easy to slice and serve, though they can sit out in cool room temperature for a bit without issue. A dollop of whipped cream or greek yogurt would make a lovely addition, but we like it best as is.

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4.75 from 4 votes

Blueberry-Lemon Curd Tartlets with Almond Crust

The perfect use for our gorgeous pink blueberry lemon curd, these pastry tartlets are flavored and decorated with almonds. Each tartlet is a miniature delight, yet sufficient to share with a loved one (or keep to yourself).

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Servings: 6 (5-inch) tarts

Author: Emily Clifton, Nerds with Knives

Ingredients

• 1 cup 2 sticks, 230g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
• 2 1/2 cups 310g AP flour
• 1 cup finely ground sliced or slivered almonds 115g
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary optional
• 1 batch blueberry lemon curd 4 cups
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds for garnish
• A few mint sprigs for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set rack in middle.
• To make the crust: Beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and extracts on medium speed until smooth and whipped, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and ground almonds and rosemary and beat on low until mixed and crumbs cling together when squeezed, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 balls (140g each) and press each ball into the bottom and up the sides of 6 (5-inch) removable bottom tart pans, pressing and smoothing out the dough with your fingers to form an even crust in each tart shell.; prick the bottoms all over with a fork.
• Freeze crusts for 15 minutes, then place on a baking sheet and bake until they’re light golden brown in the middle and slightly darker on the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing the sides of the pans and adding the filling.
• Fill each cooled shell with blueberry-lemon curd and chill for at least an hour, if curd is not pre-chilled. Garnish each with a few blueberries, chopped almonds and a mint sprig or two.

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