Martha originally created this recipe for a boating picnic in Maine. The tartlets are filled with blueberries, both fresh and preserved. Almond flavors the sturdy crust and the cakelike batter for the filling. Use wild blueberries if you can find them; otherwise, cultivated berries will do—the smaller, the better.
Ingredients
Makes 1 dozen
For the Crust
1/3 cup blanched almonds1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
For the Filling
2 large eggs1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons blanched almonds, toasted (see page 343) and finely ground, plus 1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds, for topping
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons blueberry jam
3 ounces (1/2 cup) fresh small blueberries, preferably wild
Step 1
Make the crust: Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk and 1 tablespoon ice water; pulse until dough just comes together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water, if needed. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or up to 3 days. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
Step 2
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve 4 1/2-inch rounds. Reroll scraps if necessary. Line twelve 3-or 3 1/4-inch tartlet pans with dough, pressing into bottoms and up sides; trim excess dough flush with rims. Divide shells between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Line shells with parchment. Add pie weights or dried beans. Bake until light golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 4
Make the filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, fold in flour, ground almonds, and salt.
Step 5
With an offset spatula, spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons jam into each shell. Top with blueberries, dividing evenly. Cover fruit in each tart shell with 2 tablespoons batter. Sprinkle batter evenly with sugar and sliced almonds. Bake until tops rise and are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Tartlets can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day.Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts