#tarlet

The other day, I asked my dad what was the best dessert his mother made—and he threw it down. Sadly, I never knew either of his parents, although his mother is the Anna in my Joanna (his father Joseph is the Jo). He told me that my grandmother never baked, but that his Aunt Mary (his father's sister, I think...there are no less than 15 Marys in his family) was the baker. "She made the world's best blueberry pie," he said. 

Did he just challenge me?

A few days later, I saw the most beautiful blueberries at the market—and had to take a stab at something close to my Great-Aunt Mary's legacy. Here's the thing: I can't make a pie crust to save my life. Someday, I'll have my good friend Mike Reddy, who in addition to being a brilliant illustrator is also apparently a closet pie-baking pro, take me through his process. Until then, I'll have to settle for something easier and idiot-proof, yet that still makes my dad eat his words. These little blueberry tarlets, inspired by a Martha recipe, are it. 

*FYI: Everyone always puts lemon juice/zest with blueberries because they blah blah blah tartness/brightness. I, however, prefer vanilla with blueberries—something about the deep sweetness makes the tangy berries taste almost carmelized (also, I never have lemons on hand. Ever.). Feel free to make the swap in your own blueberry recipe.

NOT MARY'S BLUEBERRY TARTLETS

1 cup unbleached flour

4 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, super-cold and cut into cubes

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups blueberries

Put flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter. Pulse the mixture for about 10 seconds until the butter is well mixed in. With the motor running, dribble the water in until the dough comes together (you may not need it all). Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape the dough into a disk. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, until it's very cold. (I put mine in the freezer for no more than 30 minutes to make sure it gets really cold again. But don't forget it there.)

Dust your work surface with flour and remove dough from fridge/freezer. Working with one 2-inch piece at a time, roll it into a ball and flatten into a circle. Press each circle into (and up the sides of) each cup of a non-stick 12-cup mini-muffin tin. When the muffin tin is filled, stash in the fridge for another 30 minutes.