Blueberry Cornmeal Shortbread Tart
Published August 11, 2019
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST AND TOPPING
1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
⅓ cup/55 grams cornmeal
⅓ cup/50 grams confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), melted and cooled slightly
FOR THE FILLING
1 pound/455 grams blueberries
½ cup/110 grams light brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Small pinch of kosher salt
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
Make the crust and topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted butter, then use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine ingredients until no dry spots remain.
- Step 3
Press half of the cornmeal mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (alternatively, use a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan, lined with parchment), making sure the mixture is evenly pressed on the bottom and about ½ inch up the sides. (Using something large and flat, like the bottom of a measuring cup, will be helpful.) Reserve the remaining mixture.
- Step 4
Make the filling: Toss blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar, flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the fruit into the crust.
- Step 5
Crumble the remaining cornmeal mixture over the blueberries, pressing bits of the mixture together into large clumps as you go, as you would with a crisp or coffee-cake topping.
- Step 6
Bake tart until the blueberry filling is bubbly and thickened, and both the crust and top are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Step 7
Let tart cool completely before slicing into triangles and serving. The tart can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature or refrigerated (especially if your kitchen is hot or humid).
Private Notes
Comments
I picked about 3 lb of blueberries from our landscape. After the kids consumed many handfuls, I saw this recipe. I had just a tad over one pound, so went for it. The flavor was delicious - albeit on the sweet side - bursting with fruit. Using 1/2 the dough for the topping was clever. With only 2 Tbl of flour, the filling set perfectly. The only fault is I felt the bottom crust was soggy, which can be corrected easily by first blind baking the crust after Step 3, then proceeding. Thanks!
Combined everyone's tips for a lightly sweetened tart that's great with powdered sugar on top or with vanilla ice cream. Here is where I netted out with an AWESOME tart. - Parbake at 350 for 10 min - Cut sugar in crust in half (2 tablespoons each of powdered sugar and brown sugar) - Cut sugar in filling to 2.5 tablespoons - Adjusted lemon to 1 tablespoon as there was less sugar to cut through - Used salted butter the second time and cut kosher salt to 1/4 tsp - better consistency SO YUMMY!
I know this article is all about luscious fresh August fruit, but can I use frozen blueberries and if I can, should I thaw first?
I've made this several times with blueberries, tonight I tried it with strawberries & field rhubarb, and it was delicious. I macerated the fruit with a little white sugar for about 30 minutes first & drained the liquid (to prevent a soggy crust), then added the flour/brown sugar/lemon. I also par-baked the crust for 10 minutes before adding fruit, and added an additional 10 minutes to total cook time. Delightful!
Great recipe you don’t have to change anything. be sure you wash and dry the blueberries before using..
I made this recipe yesterday - the day the recipe was printed. I got great reviews from everyone who tasted it. I'm pleased with results. I used dark brown sugar because that is what I had.

