Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Nordic Blueberry Almond Custard Tart with a Rye Shortbread Crust
Nordic Blueberry Almond Custard Tart with a Rye Shortbread Crust
A few weeks ago, before we headed out on our trip to Europe, I shared with Erlend a Google doc containing an extensive list of restaurants, bakeries, shops, and neighborhoods that I wanted to check out when we were in London and Amsterdam. The list was comprised of a mix between critically-acclaimed restaurants and bakeries, as well as personal recommendations made by family, friends, and blogger and Instagram acquaintances.
At the top of the list for London was Nordic Bakery, a bakery specializing in Scandinavian pastries. Erlend’s parents had randomly come across the bakery a few years ago during their travels; his mom had bought their cookbook on a whim after a morning of enjoying their pastries and coffee. And every time I visit their apartment in New York City and browse through their extensive book collection, the Nordic Bakery’s bright blue, minimalist spine always catches my eye. I inevitably pull it out from the shelf and spend the next few minutes getting lost in the pictures and recipes of hearty cinnamon rolls, beautiful rye buns, and Scandinavian cakes.
Finally, it was my turn to go. On a rainy morning, Erlend and I trekked our way to the Nordic Bakery location on Golden Square in London’s hip Soho neighborhood. True to form, we ordered a miniature feast for breakfast consisting of karelian pie, tiger cake, butter buns, and flat white espresso drinks (Which, by the way, why are flat whites not a thing in the US? They're delicious!). And just when I thought that we had stuffed ourselves silly with all the carbs they were offering, they brought out their showstopper: the prettiest blueberry custard tart with a gorgeous, beautifully browned rye crust.
I wanted a slice, but literally had no more room in my stomach. Erlend managed to talk sense in to me, pointing out that I still had four other bakeries in the area on my list that I wanted to visit (including the original inspiration for this blog, The Hummingbird Bakery). We reluctantly left without a slice. But still — it’s been a few weeks since that morning, and I still find myself thinking about that tart.
So I decided to make it at home!
This tart is the true definition of Scandinavian, but in dessert form. It uses rye flour in the shortbread pastry, giving the tart an incredibly tasty hearty and wholesome flavor that you don't often see in pastries. The tart filling was also pretty Nordic in its flavors — fresh, seasonal blueberries tossed with sour cream and almond extract. Because the original recipe was pretty solid, I hardly made any modifications with the exception of throwing in a little kosher salt into the crust and topping the tart with a dash of powdered sugar and a sprinkling of toasted, slivered almonds. Delicious.
Some baker's notes:
- Not a fan of blueberries? Feel free to substitute with any other berry that you prefer! In my opinion, raspberries would be the perfect alternative.
- The tart crust dough can be a little bit sticky to work with, so be sure to reserve an additional 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour or so to dust your hands with as you work with the tart dough.
Available link for download
