Provençal blueberry tarts

Provençal blueberry tarts

Serves 8

Pâte sucrée

75 g butter at room temperature 
50g confectioners sugar
1/2 egg 
15g almond flour
125g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Lavender syrup

75g granulated sugar
50ml water
1 tsp. lavender

Almond cream

50g almond flour
5g all purpose flour
50g butter at room temperature 
50g confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/2 egg 
40g toasted pine nuts

Bring the water and lavender to a boil, stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the lavender and discard.

Cream together butter and confectioners sugar. Beat in the egg, then gently stir in flour, almond flour and salt. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the dough and line 8 square tart rings with the pastry. Trim the edges and rest for another 15-30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 175C and blind bake the tarts for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare the almond cream by mixing the ingredients together to a flowy paste. Spread the almond cream onto the blind baked pastry shells, sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the frangipane with warm lavender syrup and cool completely on a wire rack.

 Fennel & basil cremeux

125ml heavy cream
125ml whole milk
60g egg yolks
25g sugar
3 gelatine leaves
12g basil leaves
6g toasted fennel seeds

To assemble and serve

350g blueberries
Fennel pollen

In a small saucepan, heat the cream and milk until just below boiling. Remove from heat, add basil leaves and fennel seeds and infuse for an hour. 

Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes. 

Whisk together sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Bring the milk to a boil, strain and discard the basil and fennel. Pour in ¼ of the hot milk to the egg yolks while whisking rapidly. Add the remaining milk and pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and reaches 82C. 

Squeeze excess water from the gelatin and stir into the cremeux until completely dissolved.  Strain into a bowl, press a piece of cling film onto the surface and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Pipe onto the cooled tart shells, arrange blueberries on top and sprinkle with fennel pollen.