Lemon Blueberry tart

This Lemon blueberry tart recipe is the perfect French tartlet with lovely refreshing flavors and an easy yet impressive design! Delicious homemade Pâte Sablée (sweet shortcrust) filled with tangy and creamy lemon curd, decorated with natural color blueberry whipped ganache and loaded with fresh, sweet blueberries.

Are you a fan of lemon desserts? Making your own Lemon blueberry tart at home from scratch will bring you to Paris and its lovely pastry shops in a second! This tartlet will be the prettiest pastry on any dessert table and it's easier to make than you might think following my detailed Baking Guide.

Jump to:

• What is a tart?
• My Top 5 Baking Tips for home bakers
• Some important notes regarding the INGREDIENTS of this Lemon blueberry Tart recipe
• 7 Baking tips regarding the TECHNIQUE of making this Lemon blueberry Tart recipe
• More tart recipes
• Lemon blueberry tart

What is a tart?

A tart is a freestanding, shallow open-faced pastry often baked in a tart ring with fluted or straight sides. Smaller tarts are referred to as tartlets. Lemon tart, fruit tart, chocolate tart, coffee tart, caramel tart…you name it! Tarts and tartlets are one of the most popular pastries all around the world!

Making Pâte Sablée, sweet shortcrust tart shell is one of the baking basics worth mastering for every home baker! An useful and beautiful baking skill that can turn any desserts into professional looking pastries that will impress everyone!

Make sure you check out my Ultimate Pâte Sablée Guide that explains everything about how to make sweet shortcrust including ingredients, technique, equipment and even more.

My Top 5 Baking Tips for home bakers

1. Read the recipe carefully including my tips and recommendations on how to avoid and fix typical issues during baking this Lemon meringue tart. A short recipe alone is not able to call out all the details that you need to pay attention to while baking therefore most of my recipes particularly more complex ones like this Lemon blueberry tart recipe contain important information about ingredients and techniques
2. Avoid using substitutes and changing the recipe unless you are aware of how to fully reformulate the recipe in order to keep the balance in texture as well as flavor. In general, replacing eggs, using gluten-free flour, skipping certain ingredients etc. will always have an impact on your baking incl. this Lemon blueberry tart recipe
3. For a consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is provided as an indicative figure only and might be used for less complex and large batch recipes however it is not an appropriate method if you want consistent results
4. Did you know that most home ovens can significantly under or oven run? Also, oven temperature hugely drops when opening the oven door therefore it is recommended to always pre-heat the oven above the required baking temperature.
5. Temperature is so important when it comes to baking and accurate oven temperature is key, can make or break any recipe. Make sure you invest into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under baked, burnt, sad looking desserts

Some important notes regarding the INGREDIENTS of this Lemon blueberry Tart recipe

For the Pâte Sablée, sweet shortcrust

1. Flour: I am using pastry flour for this Lemon blueberry tart recipe, feel free to use AP if can’t find pastry flour in your local supermarket. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here
2. Almond: I am making Pâte Sablée with almond flour that is my preference from taste and texture point of view. It is worth to buy good quality ground almond, without skin. Almond can be replaced with hazelnut, walnut, pistachio flour too
3. Sugar: This sweet shortcrust dough is made with a small amount of icing sugar that makes the tart case sweet but not overly sweet. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
4. Salt: An essential ingredient in most of the dessert recipes. Balances flavour and enhances other ingredients. This is a sweet tart dough and I just love that extra very mild salty kick at the end
5. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. While in most of the recipes butter needs to be on room temperature, this is an exception and you have to take it very seriously. Butter needs to be chilled, which means take the butter out of the fridge, cut into cubes then place it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before using it.
6. Egg: Room temperature as always. Egg can´t be left out or replaced unless you have the knowledge to totally reformulate the recipe

As you can shortcrust pastry is a super simple recipe in terms of the ingredients. The secret behind making beautiful, neat and delicious tart crust is all about mastering the technique, understanding how temperature plays in role while working with the dough and using the right equipment that I will be all explaining further down in this recipe.

For the lemon curd filling

1. Lemon: This Lemon blueberry tart will be filled with a simple lemon curd. For making lemon curd make sure you use fresh, organic lemon one which has no chemicals on the skin) and only grate the yellow part of the skin, not the white. First take the zest off then simply squeeze the juice out. The recipe is given in grams as the amount of juice that comes out of a lemon can greatly vary!
2. Granulated sugar: Use normal white granulated sugar, nothing fancy or expensive. In this lemon curd recipe the curd will be tangy and not overly sweet, which is my preference for lemon desserts especially for this Lemon blueberry tart recipe where the meringue will bring the sweetness. Feel free to adjust the quantity of the sugar for your taste
3. Egg: Room temperature as always and use only the yolk, which will thicken the curd. If you wonder what to do with the leftover egg white, you will need that for the Swiss meringue part of the recipe! Or, you can try my pavlova recipe. Please note that some other recipes out there use whole egg for making lemon curd, I prefer using yolk only for a few reasons: 1. Colour 2. Texture 3. Easier to cook and less likely to end up like scrambled egg
4. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. In this recipe butter needs to be at room temperature so avoid last minute microwaving. The butter makes the lemon curd incredible rich and creamy also makes it more stable (thick) in texture.

For the blueberry whipped ganache

1. White chocolate: Use good quality white chocolate for this chocolate-based ganache, I find that really works well with coffee. Avoid using “baking chocolate”. The chocolate I am using is Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Heavy cream:  Also known as whipping cream has a fat content of between 36% and 40%, the one I use is 36%. Use it very cold and do not substitute with vegetable based “whipping cream”
3. Gelatin:  It´s an odorless, tasteless and colorless thickening agent, very often used by pastry chefs, particularly in mousse cakes. Powder or sheet versions are available, in my recipes I always use sheet (1,7 g / sheet), which I found easier to handle. You can replace it by gelatin powder of the same weight. If using a sheet, simply soak the gelatine sheet into cold water for a few minutes before you need them and use it according to the recipe. Please note that gelatine is not suitable for vegetarians. Agar agar can be a good substitution for vegetarians however replacing gelatine with agar agar is not 1:1 and can only be done by reformulating the recipe slightly
4. Blueberry: I am using frozen, fresh could also work. Make puree by blending blueberries, get rid of the seeds (blueberry seeds are actually quite unpleasant) then cook the puree until it slightly thickens and its volume reduced to about half

7 Baking tips regarding the TECHNIQUE of making this Lemon blueberry Tart recipe

I have a very detailed step by step tutorial including all my tricks and tips for making the perfect sweet shortcrust in here. I also happen to have a super baking guide about how to make silky, tangy lemon curd from scratch in here. Make sure you visit these articles. If you read and follow my instructions and tips I can guarantee that you will succeed making this Lemon blueberry tart!

1. The importance of temperature while making Pâte Sablée, sweet shortcrust tart shells

Baking is science and in general temperature is one of the most important factors to understand AND utilise for our benefit. When I say temperature I don’t purely mean baking temperature but also the environment we work e.g kitchen temperature as well as the dough temperature.

While making sweet tart crust, temperature is everything! If the dough is too hot, it’s sticky and can’t be rolled out or shaped. If too cold, it will easily break. The entire tart making process is a balancing exercise between keeping the dough cold enough but not too cold.

To give you a concrete example, in a home kitchen environment on a warmer day this practically means taking the dough in and out of the freezer about 15 times in between steps to ensure the dough is always on the right temperature to work with. If you are lucky and have a cold kitchen, you might be ok with 2-5 chilling breaks. Yes, not just to chill the dough once or twice but to be in control of the dough temperature all the time!

2. What equipment is needed to make the tart case for this Lemon blueberry tart

You can only achieve a neat, visually appealing, even golden color tart crust by using professional baking equipment. Luckily these are available to purchase on Amazon not just for professionals but also for home bakers. If you want to make beautiful, patisserie-style tarts it’s worth investing in a perforated baking mat, a couple of perforated tart rings, and a silicon mat.

Silicone baking mat

I recommend using 2 Silicone baking mat for rolling the shortcrust dough out in between them. The recipe is designed in a way that you do not need to add extra flour while rolling the dough however it might stick to your kitchen counter so use a silicone baking mat. It’s also possible to use 2 sheets of parchment paper however the silicone mat provides a much neater, smooth surface. It can be washed and then used all the time so overall worth the investment. I am using the “Amazon basics” cheapest version so no need to buy anything expensive.

While rolling the Pâte Sablée dough, start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions. Again remember, the temperature is very important. If the dough is too cold, you won´t be able to roll it out. If too warm, it will be difficult to handle and will even stick to the silicone baking mat.

Perforated baking “air” mat

The air mat is perfect for the baking tart crust, éclairs or even cookies. Thanks to the holes in the mat, the heat spreads evenly throughout mats’ surface guaranteeing a perfect and even baking without blind baking. The Pâte Sablée dough won´t puff up while baking the tarts and will be super neat and even.

While baking the sweet shortcrust tart shells, use the Perforated “air” baking mat straight on top of the oven rack (so not in a baking pan) so that the air can circulate properly. I have been using Perforated “air” baking mat for more than a year now from a brand called Silikomart and loving it.

Perforated tart ring

The Perforated tart rings are non-stick and stainless, they allow homogeneous baking due to the even air circulation. It’s a genius solution, isn’t it? Silikomart (and some other quality brands) offer the rings in various shapes and sizes, I am using an 8cm (3,14inch) diameter round version. As far as I can see there are several cheap copies of the initial Silikomart product, I am not sure though whether they are made of the same material and whether they work or not.

No need to grease the tart rings, the Pâte Sablée dough will stick to its side providing a very neat-looking beautiful tart shell. I have been using my Perforated tart ring for over a year and it’s the best investment I have ever made.

I can not recommend it enough, it’s really one of those tools you have to invest in once and then will change your baking experience forever!

3. Process of making sweet shortcrust pastry case

Now that we covered the most important factors you have to bear in mind while making Pâte Sablée, let´s see how exactly to make sweet shortcrust for this Lemon blueberry tart

• Make sure all ingredients are measured with Digital scale and prepare all the tools ahead: Rolling pin, Silicone baking mat, Perforated “air” baking mat, Perforated tart ring
• Place the measured butter cubes into the freezer for 5-10 minutes
• Sift together dry ingredients; flour, icing sugar, almond, and salt, mix so they are combined properly
• Add very cold butter cubes to dry ingredients and rub the mixture between your hands until it becomes a sand-like consistency. This will take about 3 minutes, make sure you do not spend too much time with this step as butter can easily warm up and that is something we want to avoid
• Add egg into the mixture and mix with your hands just until the dough comes together. First, it might look crumbly but do not add more wet or dry ingredients to the recipe instead gently knead the dough with the palm of your hand for a minute or two (do not over knead and do not use a mixer) just until the dough becomes smooth
• If the dough is too warm and sticky, place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes first. Otherwise, continue with rolling the dough out into 2mm thickness between two Silicone baking mat. The recipe quantity is designed in a way that once you roll the dough out it will reach the silicone baking mat from edge to edge
• Place the dough into the freezer for 10-15 min in between the two Silicone baking mat. Do not remove the mat at this point as the dough might stick to the mat while it is warm and it would break the dough
• Prepare your oven rack with the Perforated “air” baking mat and Perforated tart rings on top
• Take the dough sheet out from the freezer, remove the top of the silicone mat, and using one of the Perforated tart rings, cut out 8 circles – this will be the bottom of your tart crust. Carefully move the dough circles with the help of an Offset spatula and place them into the rings one by one
• If at any point the dough gets too warm to work with, pop it back into the freezer for 5 minutes. You might need to take the dough in and out of the freezer a lot of times but that is fine, don´t try to force the dough while it is warm. It is extremely important to work with a dough that is cold enough to be able to handle (so not sticky) but not too cold which would result in breaking it
• Cut 8 long strips out of the dough, this will be the side of the tart
• Carefully place the stripes into the ring one by one. Press each stripe onto the side of the rings so it sticks to them. Again make sure you work with a dough that is cold enough but not frozen as that would make it impossible to place it into the tart ring without breaking it
• Place the Perforated tart ring with the pastry dough in them into the freezer for 1 hour
• Pre-heat oven to 160C / 320F
• After 1 hour take the pastry dough with the rings on them out and trim them with a sharp knife
• Bake for 20 min then carefully remove the rings. Once you take the tarts out of the oven wait for a minute or two for the pastry to somewhat contract within the ring then you will be able to easily remove the rings. If the ring seems to be stuck onto your pastry it means probably you will need to bake it for a few more minutes
• Once tart rings are removed, bake the tart cases for another few minutes. The tarts will be ready baked already after a few minutes however if you wish to bake them until golden brown then bake them for another 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet if necessary
• Let them cool on the Perforated “air” baking mat before filling them with lemon curd and turning them into delicious Lemon blueberry tarts

4. How to make the lemon curd filling

Making the lemon curd filling for this Lemon blueberry tart is extremely easy and quick! It also tastes amazing and perfectly fits to the blueberries… and you will need only 4 ingredients. Make sure you read my Ultimate Lemon curd recipe in here.

• Place lemon juice, egg yolk and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (double boiler) and cook the curd over medium-high heat whisking constantly. Whisking is important to avoid egg yolks from curdling
• After about 8-10 minutes the mixture starts to thicken like custard. I find the temperature at this stage is around 80C/176C
• Remove curd from the heat, and to be on the safe side, pour the cooked curd through a sieve so you will get rid of any potential egg bits in there
• With a rubber spatula mix in room temperature butter in small cubes one by one. Make sure that each cube of butter is fully incorporated before adding the next. If you have a blender, blend butter into curd, if not, make sure you fully incorporate it with your spatula
• Fold the zest in. Make sure you won´t leave the zest out, it will give so much flavour!
• Pour curd into a shallow container (so it will cool quicker) and place plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents skin forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge
• Use it to fill your tart cases once cooled. No need to wait until it fully set but it should not be warm neither

5. How to make the blueberry whipped ganache

First of all, why make whipped ganache? Initially ganache is chocolate-cream 1:1 ratio mixture however to reach a chocolate based but not too sweet yet pipeable frosting, I recommend making this easy blueberry whipped ganache recipe. All natural colour, can you believe that?!

While taste is obviously very important, in case of chocolate the quality goes way beyond taste, good vs poor quality chocolate that can make or break any recipe. I recommend to chose a high quality brand with high cocoa content chocolate to avoid disappointment. I am using Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets) that tastes amazing and works wonderfully silky while making ganache.

Regarding the cream, I am using heavy cream that has 36% fat content. Do not make ganache using low fat creams or vegetable creams.

How does the process look like to make blueberry whipped ganache

1. Place finely chopped chocolate into a bowl or use Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Soak gelatine into cold water
3. Make the blueberry puree, get rid of the seeds then cook it until volume reduced to about half
4. Mix gelatin into warm blueberry puree
5. Pour puree over the white chocolate
6. Let the two sit for a minute then stir together or use a blender to emulsify
7. Once slightly cooled, pour cold cream into the mixture and fold until mixture fully incorporated. Do not use blender neither hand mixer at this point, just gently fold with a rubber spatula
8. Cover the surface of the ganache with plastic wrap and refrigerate for min. 6 hours, overnight even better
9. 6 hours later or the next day take the ganache out of the fridge, it should have a thickened consistency due to the gelatin. Gently whip it in a stand mixer or with the help of an electric hand mixer. It will reach a fluffy, pipeable consistency in a minute or two. Make sure, you do not over beat the ganache after this point as it can get runny easily
10. Once ganache is fluffy and pipeable in consistency, place it into a piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle tip and decorate the tartlets. If ganache is more on the soft side, place it first into the fridge for an hour to further set

6. How to assemble this Lemon blueberry tart

Start with making the blueberry whipped ganache as you have to let it set overnight. Then, you will make the tart shells and let them cool before filling. Finally, make the lemon curd filling and let is come to room temp before using.

The assemble process is rather simple

1. Fill each tart case with lemon curd up to the edge, smooth the top
2. Let the tarts set in the fridge for min 4 hours
3. Pipe blueberry whipped ganache on top
4. Decorate with blueberries and some greens, perhaps gold leaves

Voila, your Lemon blueberry tarts are ready! 

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