Lemon-Blueberry Tartlets

I love the moment I get home from work. The obvious reasons come to mind. I'm off after a long day grinding out a living and my wife greets me and gives me a smile that says everything is good once again. It's a great feeling when you come home to your safety net and the people whom you care for most. I also love heading to my kitchen and planning out a snack, dinner or that night's dessert. It's a great escape after hours spent dealing with work and it's one of the ways I communicate best.

Tonight was one of those nights. I've been battling a stiff neck for days and I wanted a distraction. It's funny how your mind won't stop focusing on something when you want it most. Anyway, I went to the kitchen and took a peak through my cupboards. I just did groceries so I knew I had almost anything I could think of to work with. I keep my pantry stocked and my spices and mason jars full so I'm usually good to go within a few days of a trip to the market.

It took me all of a couple minutes to find my tartlet pans. I just picked them up recently and was thinking of a way to use them right away. I had some money left over from a gift certificate MIL gave me. Yes, that's what I call my mother-in-law. It's cool. She not only loaded my Christmas take with foodie items but she gave me a gift certificate to get myself something. So far the loot stands at plates, a mini casserole dish, a mandoline and the tartlet pans. Not a bad set of goodies for a food junkie like me. So I took out the pans and pulled out my food journal.

I recently made a batch of clementine curd but quickly used that all up. Luckily I had a bag full of shiny lemons and 3 pints of blueberries to work with. I knew I wanted to make another batch of curd because it's great to have on hand and bloody delicious. So before I knew it I had decided on making Lemon-Blueberry Tartlets for dessert. Something special for my hump day free-for-all. Everybody needs that extra push to get them through to the weekend.

The curd really is simple to make and it's versatile. I can brush it on toast or pastries or add it to a dessert like this. The tartness of the curd is a perfect match for the sweetness of the blueberries and the sweet and savoury ginger crust. It's smooth and slightly crunchy all at once. Honestly,  it's like flavour works going off in your mouth. It will definitely be playing a repeat performance at my house someday very soon.

So make a batch of curd and keep it on hand for nights like these. Once you make it, let it rest in the fridge to thicken up a bit more and get nice and cold. The base for the tart is a ginger snap crust. I grind up a couple dozen ginger snap cookies in my processor and mix it with a few tablespoons of melted butter. I then add it to the pans and press to form an even layer around the sides and base. I cook it off at 350 degree for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. I let it rest and once it's cooled down significantly I add in the lemon curd. I top that with a layer of blueberries, some lemon zest and a shake of icing sugar.

This may seem indulgent, and it is, but it's really the perfect weekday dessert. If you can make a batch of lemon curd ahead of time, it'll last for a solid week and you only have to make the base on a weeknight. Simple, right? We're talking 30 minutes start to finish.The results are amazing!

Make this sometime and let me know what you think. This is the perfect way to cap a dinner for two, as we did tonight, and to serve if you're having guests over for a Saturday night dinner and drinks. Either way, this just might very well creep its way into your food journal for future ideas.

Blueberry-Lemon Tartlets. Seriously good!


From my kitchen to yours, happy eating!

**This post made Foodbuzz Top 9!