Tartelette Recipe

Make dough

In a bowl or food processor, combine 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 0.25 cup icing sugar and 0.125 tsp fine salt. Cut in 0.5 cup cold cubed unsalted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or pulse in processor 6–8 times). Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water and pulse just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork.

Chill and shape

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour until firm.

Roll and line molds

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Divide chilled dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece to about 1/8" (3 mm) thickness and gently press into 3.5" tartlet pans or a tartlet tray. Trim edges and press seams to smooth. Prick bottoms lightly with a fork to prevent puffing.

Blind-bake

Line each shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12–15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then continue baking 5–7 minutes until golden and fully set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Reduce oven to 300°F (150°C) if you plan to gently set curd inside shells briefly later.

Prepare curd base

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together 0.75 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp lemon zest and 1 tsp cornstarch (optional for stability). Add 3 large eggs and 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice and whisk until smooth and uniform in color.

Cook curd

Place bowl over a gently simmering pot of water (double-boiler) making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir mixture constantly with a spatula or whisk as it thickens. Once it reaches a custard consistency and registers about 170°F–175°F (77°C–80°C), remove from heat.

Finish with butter

Immediately whisk in 0.5 cup cold cubed unsalted butter a few pieces at a time until fully incorporated and the curd is glossy and smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove zest bits if you prefer an extra-smooth texture. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until set (at least 1 hour).

Cook compote

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup blueberries, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 0.5 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries begin to soften and release juices, about 4–6 minutes.

Thicken

If a thicker compote is desired, stir the prepared cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp water) into the bubbling berries and cook 30–60 seconds until glossy and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Reserve some whole berries for garnish if desired.

Fill tart shells

When tart shells are fully cooled and lemon curd is chilled and set, spoon or pipe about 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon curd into each tart shell, smoothing the top. The amount may vary so the curd layer is roughly 1/2" thick.

Top with compote

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of blueberry compote into the center of each curd-filled tartlet. Leave some compote juices for a glaze effect but avoid making the shells soggy.

Garnish and chill

Arrange a few fresh blueberries on top of each tartlet and sprinkle with remaining lemon zest. Lightly dust with 1 tbsp powdered sugar just before serving if desired. Chill the assembled tartlets for 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry, or serve immediately at cool room temperature.

Storage

Store tartlets refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best texture, assemble no more than 12–24 hours ahead to avoid soggy shells.