Blueberry goat cheese tart & buttermilk crust
Since the beginning it’s always been about bourbon pecan pie at our small restaurant Nola here in Buenos Aires.
With the weather warming we’ve been making loads of menu changes, and our most well received has been this little tart up above. She’s the perfect summer time treat!
Our favorite blueberry farmers have recently harvested and sent us kilos and kilos of berries directly from their farm in Suipacha about 100 kilometers north of BA. Suipacha is known as la ruta del quesos (the cheese route) so what better way to jazz up these tarts with some local goat cheese.
Fresh basil, lemon and a buttermilk crust are all major contributions to its success.
It’s simple, light, a bit tangy and a breeze to make!
Buttermilk Crust :: (compliments of Joy the Baker
- 225g cold cold butter cut into small dice
- .5 cup cold milk + big squeeze of lemon
- 2.5 cup flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
You want everything super cold. I like to measure everything out and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before handling. OR you can do it in a food processor super fast and place it in the freezer to rest for an hour. Regardless of your method, it needs to rest for an hour. Personally I think it’s best if it’s made the day prior and left in the fridge. It freezes GREAT.
Combine butter with dry ingredients and break up butter with hands or smash with a rolling paper. You want super thin sheets of butter. Throw it back in the freezer for 5 minutes then add your buttermilk and mix until just incorporated. Don’t knead, don’t smooth it out. Just get it all together. Separate the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the freezer or fridge for an hour, minimum.
When ready to roll out make sure your surface area is clean and well floured. Using a rolling-pin roll out dough to desired thickness and cut out into individual pieces. Grease tins and carefully place the dough in securing the bottom with your knuckles. You want to be gentle to prevent the dough from breaking and causing leakage resulting in stuck to the tin tartlets.
Once they’re rolled out and in their desired tins pop them in the freezer until they’re ready to be filled and baked.
Blueberry Goat Cheese Basil Tart ::
- 5 cups of blueberries, preferably frozen as they hold their shape better!
- .5 cup soft goat cheese
- .5 cup cream
- 1 large egg
- .3 cup black or brown sugar
- zest and juice of one lemon
- .25 cup flour
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 TBS fresh basil, finely chopped
If you can’t get your hands on soft goat cheese you can use a semi-hard or hard just bring it to room temperature and/or grate it. Using a wooden spoon mix the cheese with the cream, add the egg and lemon zest/juice and mix. Next add the sugar, flour and salt and mix well. Fold in the blueberries and basil and set aside.
Topping ::
Totally optional but highly recommended. Mix together 1 cup of sliced/chopped toasted almonds with a third cup of brown sugar and a third cup of a melted butter. OR do the same but with pecans instead of almonds.
To assemble the pies –
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line your baking sheet with the dough tins. Carefully scoop the blueberry mix into each tin. Place a spoonful of the topping on each tart after the filling and place them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the dough is thoroughly cooked and the filling has set.
Serve warm or cool.
