Tarte Robert (Key Lime with Blueberries)
Blueberries are pretty much Hank’s favorite fruit. If a dessert doesn’t have chocolate, he’d like it to have blueberries. He likes blueberries so much that every summer, after I pick blueberries with one of my former students whose family owns a blueberry farm, I make a large batch of blueberry barbecue sauce and keep it in the freezer in small containers to use throughout the winter. (I use Vivian Howard’s recipe, which I have dubbed “Blue-B-Q,” and I use it on much more than just chicken, which is what’s given in her recipe.) I also freeze the blueberries themselves to make any number of other items during the year, such as my grandmother’s blueberry crumb cake.
For many years, many blueberries made their way into blueberry pie, and that’s still a favorite. But then I tried this tart, which we now call “Tarte Robert.” Our dear friend, Robert, is not usually a big eater, and does not usually go back for seconds. Until he tried this tart, that is! He once even described this as heaven on earth, evidence of the divine in the here and now. And so I dedicated it to him, naming it “Tarte Robert.”
Tarte Robert (Key Lime with Blueberries)
5 ounces (approximately) graham crackers (one sleeve) or about 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
6 Tablespoons sugar, divided
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (save the whites in the freezer until you have enough to make financiers)
⅓ cup key lime juice (store-bought will work) or fresh lime juice
Zest of one lime (about 2 teaspoons)
½ cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2¾ cups blueberries, divided
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the graham cracker crust. Using a food processor, break down the graham crackers into crumbs. Place in a medium bowl with the coconut and 3 Tablespoons sugar, and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to moisten the crumb mixture. Pour out into 9-inch shallow tart pan (about 1 inch deep) with removable bottom. Using your fingers, or the bottom and side of a small glass, such as a shot glass, press the crust to an even thickness on the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the pan with the crust on a foil-lined half sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes while you assemble the next step.
(If you don’t have a tart pan, presumably a pie plate will also work, or a pre-made graham cracker crust, or a gluten-free graham cracker crust, but I’ve not tried any of these.)
Reduce the oven to 325°F. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and lime zest in a medium bowl and whisk to combine well. Pour the condensed milk mixture into the crust, and spread to cover the crust evenly. Bake for 20 minutes (still on the foil-lined half sheet pan). Remove from oven and leave to cool for 2 hours.
Combine the water, cornstarch and remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add ¾ cup blueberries and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute until the liquid has thickened and taken on color from the berries. Place the remaining 2 cups blueberries in a medium bowl, pour thickened mixture over, and mix gently to combine. Pour the blueberry mixture over the condensed milk topping in the tart and use a rubber spatula to spread the berries evenly to the edges. Place in the refrigerator to chill fully, at least 2 hours. Remove the sides of the tart pan and serve.