Lime Cream Tart with Blackberries

Ah, fresh blackberries.  Nothing in the world is better.  But if you've decided that you can't just stuff them in your mouth until it turns deep plum anymore, this is a fantastic way to impress the crap out of people with surprisingly little labour.

Lime Cream:

1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 limes
4 eggs
¾ cup lime juice
2 sticks + 5 tablespoons unsalted butter


In a large saucepan, rub zest into sugar until sugar is moist and aromatic.  Whisk in eggs, then lime juice.

Over medium heat CONTINUE WHISKING.  Cook until lime curd reaches 180 degrees by candy thermometer.   Don’t pretend you’re cool and leave this alone; it will die—WHISK constantly as it thickens.  It can take as long as 10 min.  Remove from heat.

Strain mixture into blender (heat proof is a must on this one.)  Discard zest.  Let cream stand until it cools to 140 degrees.  Turn on high and add the butter 5 pieces at a time, scrapping as needed.  Once the butter is all in, keep going for about 3 minutes.   If your blender starts to stink like burning, go in intervals.

Put cream in container and cover with cling film flat to cream surface.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs or overnight.  When ready to use, whisk lightly and spoon into tart shell.



Tart Shell:

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp candied ginger
¼ salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon frozen butter in tiny pieces
1 egg yolk


Chuck flour, sugar, ginger, and salt into a food processor and pulse to stir.  Scatter butter over dry ingredients and pulse until butter in cut in—like looks a little like oatmeal with peas in.  Stir yolk to break apart and pour into machine, then pulse.  Pulse in 10 second intervals until dough starts to clump up (the machine will change noise, and as soon as it does, stop.)  Turn dough onto counter and knead gently.

PAM a 9 inch tart pan.  Press dough into pan, paying attention to edges.  It shrinks during baking, so I go up over the top a bit.  Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  PAM a piece of aluminum foil and fit it against the crust.  Put tart onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil.  If it puffed up, press it down gently and cool on rack.



Topping:

1 pound blackberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp ground ginger


I used frozen, put them in a dish with a bit of sugar and ginger and let them warm up on the counter.



To complete:

Spoon cream into shell.  Smooth cream.  Toss on blackberries.  Serve.