Huckleberry-Mint Lemon Curd Tart

Chocolate Shortbread Crust
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• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing, at room temperature
• 1/3- cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch salt

1. Cream together sugar butter and cocoa powder in the bowl until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix with hands until the dough starts to come together.  Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap to get nice and thin. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Traditional Shortbread Crust

• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing, at room temperature
• 1/3- cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt

1. Cream together in the bowl until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix with hands until the dough starts to come together.  Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap to get nice and thin. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.

​Lemon Cream Curd

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (Meyer or regular) Note: I generally double the lemon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar -  good amount or just slightly less
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter

 

1. Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer.
2. Combine the lemon juice, whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel bowl that will rest securely in the rim of a saucepan over, not touching, the water. (Never let the egg yolks and sugar sit together for more than a moment without stirring; the sugar will cook the yolks and turn them granular.) Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and registers 180° F on a thermometer. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. If you don't have or trust your thermometer, don't worry. It should thicken to the point that your whisk leaves a trail through the curd.
3. Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool to 140° F, stirring from time to time to release the heat.
4. Meanwhile, cut butter into 1-tablespoon (15-ml) pieces. When the cream is ready, leave it in the bowl if using an immersion blender, or pour it into a countertop blender. With the blender running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition until incorporated before adding the next piece. The cream will be pale yellow and opaque and quite thick.
5. You can use the cream immediately, or pour it into a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To use after refrigeration, if necessary, gently heat in a stainless steel bowl set over simmering water until it has softened, whisking constantly.

Lemon curd

• 3 lemons
• 3/4-1 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs 
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons) - double this and zest of 2 lemons
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

 

1. Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
2. Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

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Huckleberries

• 1 cup huckleberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water - if you have no fresh mint, brew with peppermint tea. 
• juice (and zest) of 1/2 lemon
• 4 sprigs of fresh spearmint stems

1. Make a basic and thin simple syrup with sugar, water/tea, lemon juice, and mint stems. 
2. Allow to cool
3. Dunk huckleberries into syrup, coat berries, and strain from the sugar mixture. 
4. possibly save the simple syrup for a crafty cocktail.

Assembly

• Allow crust to come out of the oven and cool. speed up the process int eh fridge. 
• Once crust is cool, add the lemon curd/ cream curd, and allow to fully cool and set. 
• once ready to serve arrange the sugar soaked huckleberries onto the top of the set lemon tart.