Not as pretty as my last pie on Friday, but it tastes just as good. And is just as juicy. It is the season for pies – well, what season isn’t pie season — as I am a huge fan of berry pies. Blackberries come closer to the end of the berry season and I am happy that I’ve found some good ones this year. Very juicy. The almonds, toasted separately, add a lovely crunch too.
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
5 cups fresh blackberries (not frozen)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter, cold, chopped thinly
1 or 2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
1-2 tablespoons confectioners sugar (optional)
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using purses until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate with baking spray.
Roll out pastry to a 12-inch circle. Fit into prepared tart pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes as the oven warms up. Line pastry with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, leaving a 1-inch-2-inch overhang. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake tart shell just until dough has dried and does not look wet in any spots, about 20 minutes. (If center still looks wet, bake crust without weights until dried and opaque, a few minutes longer.) Let cool while you make the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
In a bowl, toss 4 cups of blackberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spoon this mixture into the cooled tart shell. Top with the remaining 1 cup of blackberries. Sprinkle 1 or 2 tablespoons white sugar over the berries, and then sprinkle thinly chopped cold butter on top. Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any juices) and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F until filling starts to bubble.
Take the tart out of the oven, let it cool for about 30 minutes, and top with toasted slivered almonds and confectioners sugar.
