Simple Rustic Apple Blueberry Tart Recipe
This apple blueberry tart combines thinly sliced apples with fresh blueberries to create a really lovely flavor combination.
The apple blueberry tart crust
This buttery tart crust recipe is a typical French pâte sucrée dough. Pâte Sucrée is slightly sweet, and a type of shortcrust pastry. It is very versatile and used frequently in French baking.
The recipe that I am sharing makes enough dough for two, 9 inch tarts, or sixteen, 4 inch mini tarts. I will tell you how to store extra tart dough shortly.
In this recipe, we will be par baking the tart crust. This is similar to blind baking, but the difference is that the crust will only be partially baked, instead of fully baked, in the tart pan before adding in the fruit mixture. Then the entire apple blueberry tart will be placed back into the oven to finish baking.
I like to use a tart tin with a removable bottom for ease, but you can use any pie pan or tart tin for this recipe.
Here are a few tips on making the dough
- It is important that you use cold butter when making the dough. I like to cut my butter into small cubes, and then place them in a medium bowl, and then back into the refrigerator until I am ready for that step in the recipe. You will want to work quickly while incorporating the butter. The idea is to press the butter into the size of peas before it starts to become soft and melted.
- Work on a lightly floured work surface when rolling out your dough. You don’t want to use so much flour that it incorporates extra into the dough. This can make the dough dry and turn it into a tough mass. But, you do want to have a lightly floured surface so that the dough does not stick when you are rolling it out and handling it.
- Poking holes in the crust prior baking is called “docking.” This prevents the crust from puffing up during baking, and also omits the need for parchment paper and pie weights.
- When you remove the apple blueberry tart from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the entire tart from the tin and place it directly on the wire rack to finish cooling. This will prevent the bottom of the crust from becoming soggy.
How to store extra pâte sucrée dough
I love that this dough recipe makes enough for two tarts. If you prefer to make two apple blueberry tarts from this recipe, you can just double the fruit mixture filling, no problem. If you prefer to make one tart, and save the extra dough for later, then you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Any seasonal fruit will work with the recipe. So, you will find it very handy to have dough readily available for a quick tart on short notice.
The tart dough can be wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to rolling.
It also freezes well, and can be frozen up to 2 months before using. For freezing, wrap the excess dough in 2 layers of plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer safe zip bag.
When you are ready to use the frozen dough, you can place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight, or leave it at room temperature on the countertop to thaw for a couple of hours before rolling.
What kind of apples should you use?
Honestly, whatever you have. When I made this recipe, I used Cosmic crisp apples, because it is what we had at the time. Cosmic apples sweet apples. But, you could use granny smith apples, if you prefer a more tart flavor.
The apple type is not really important. But, whatever kind of apples you chose, be sure that the apple slices are very thin, approximately 1/8 inch thickness.
I used my favorite paring knife to achieve thin slices. But, if you own a Mandoline, that is another great way to slice apples very thin.
Once the apples are sliced, they will be tossed in a mixture of all purpose flour, sugar, vanilla bean and lemon juice. The lemon juice not only enhances the flavor of the apples, but it also prevents them from browning while baking.
Can you use frozen blueberries?
I do not recommend using frozen blueberries for this recipe. Frozen blueberries tend to release excess water when baked, which will make the bottom of your crust soggy. No one likes a soggy crust!
Apple Blueberry Tart
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 tart tin or pie pan
- 2 sheets of plastic wrap
- 1 small bowl
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée tart crust
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Apple Blueberry Filling
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced apples about 2 large apples
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- seeds 1/2 vanilla bean pod
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Pâte Sucrée Tart Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the cubes of cold butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, toss the cubes of butter in the flour mixture until they are coated.
- Working quickly as to not allow the butter to melt, press the flour and butter mixture between the fingertips of your thumbs, index, and middle fingers. Continue to press the mixture with your fingertips until the it resembles a grainy mixture. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, and heavy cream together.
- Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture, and use a fork to toss the mixture until no dry ingredients are visible. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
- Divide the dough into two parts, and shape each into a disk. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill.
Apple Blueberry Fruit Filling
- Wash apples thoroughly. Slice them in half, and remove the core. Using a sharp paring knife, or a mandoline, slice the apples into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thickness. Place the apple slices into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds. Stir to incorporate, then add the lemon juice. Continue stirring until a paste forms.
- Pour the past mixture over the sliced apples and toss until the apple slices are fully covered.
- Add the blueberries, and gently fold into the mixture using your hands, being careful not to crush the blueberries.
Baking The Tart Crust
- Remove the tart crust from the refrigerator, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a large enough circle to fill the tart tin, plus 1-2 inches for the sides (eg. a 9 inch tart tin would need a 12-13 inch circle).
- Using your rolling pin, wrap the dough around the rolling pin and gently transfer to the tart tin. Press the dough into the tart tin and up the sides. Use your rolling pin to roll over the edges of the tart tin to remove any excess dough. If the dough tears, simply use the excess to do a little patchwork.
- Place the tin and dough into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the tin and dough from the refrigerator, and use a fork to poke holes on the bottom surface of the unbaked tart dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Assembling The Tart
- Remove the par baked tart crust from the oven, and start arranging the apples slices in fan type fashion, being sure to overlap slices (like roof shingles). You will start on the outside of the tart shell, and arrange them in concentric circles until you reach the center.
- Sprinkle the blueberries evenly on top.
- Sprinkle the small cubes of butter evenly over the mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- When the tart in baked, place the tin on a wire rack for cooling. When the tart tin is cool enough to handle, remove the tart, and allow it to finish cooling on the wire rack.
Suggested Garnishes
This tart is super simple to make, and with its red and blue colors, I think it would work nicely for celebrating Summer holiday gatherings like Bastille Day (Le 14 Julliet), or even the Fourth of July.
It would pair perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
The shelf life of Apple Blueberry tart
The leftovers can be placed on a plate, and covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Did you like this recipe? Check out my Peach Galette or Tart au Chocolat recipes for more options!
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