Georgia Blueberry Month
May 31, 2016
Elder Care in Palo Alto CA
June is Georgia Blueberry Month. These tasty little gems are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins, making them the perfect addition to your parent's healthy diet. This recipe is for a
delicious blueberry tart that combines the goodness of blueberries with the protein and healthy fat of almonds for a treat you can truly feel good about serving your loved one.
For even more benefits, share this recipe with your parent and encourage them to make it with their elder care provider to stimulate their minds and give them the satisfaction of creating something amazing together.
What You Will Need
- 1/4 of a cup of cold vegetable shortening, cubed
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus 3 tablespoons separated
- 1/2 of a cup of cold butter, cubed, plus 2 tablespoons cut into pieces separated
- 4 tablespoons of sugar, plus 1/3 of a cup separated
- 1/2 of a cup of slivered toasted almonds
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of table salt
- 3 tablespoons of chilled vodka
- 3 tablespoons of ice cold water
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups of fresh blackberries
- 2 cups of fresh blueberries
- 1 large egg
- Torn mint leaves for garnish
- A food processor
- Two large bowls
- A mixing spoon
- A pastry blender
- Plastic wrap
- A roller
- Parchment paper
- A jelly roll pan
- A small bowl
- An egg beater or whisk
- A wire cooling rack
- In the small bowl, beat the egg and set aside
- Place the almonds into the food processor
- Pulse until they are finely ground, roughly about 15 pulses or so
- Place the almonds into a large bowl
- Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of table salt to the bowl
- Stir together until well combined
- Add the cold butter and shortening that are cut into cubes into the flour mixture
- Use a pastry blender to mix until the flour, shortening and butter resembles a bowl of small peas
- Slowly stir in the ice cold water and vodka until the dry ingredients have gotten moist
- If needed, add up to another 2 tablespoons of ice cold water
- Dump the dough out onto a roll of plastic wrap
- Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough and roll into a disk shape
- Wrap the disk completely in the plastic
- Place the disk into the refrigerator
- Allow to chill for at least 3 hours and as much as 24 hours
- In a medium bowl, toss 1 cup of the blueberries
- Add the blackberries to the bowl
- Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the bowl
- Begin to toss as you add the almond extract
- Toss to combine
- Stir occasionally, but otherwise, let it stand for a half an hour
- Cover and place in the refrigerator
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it
- Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and dump the dough out onto it
- Sprinkle the dough with some flour
- Roll the dough into a 15 inch circle
- Carefully place the dough and parchment into the jelly roll pan
- In the second large bowl, stir together the 1/3 cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- Slowly stir in 2 cups of both blackberries and blueberries
- Carefully spoon the filling into the center of the dough
- Make sure to leave around 2 and 1/2 inches of border around the edges
- Dot the edges with butter
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- Fold the edges of the dough around the fruit
- As you are folding the dough, you should also be pleating the edges and sealing any cracks
- Use a pastry brush to brush the dough with the beaten egg
- Sprinkle with the remaining sugar
- Freeze the pie for 15 minutes
- Place the pie onto the lower rack of the oven
- Bake until the crust is golden brown, roughly about 30 minutes, perhaps more
- Move the pie to a wire cooling rack
- Allow to sit for 30 minutes
- Remove the topping from the refrigerator
- Arrange the topping on the pie
- Serve still warm