I purchased some fresh blackberries by mistake last week. I love the flavor of blackberries so I browsed through my recipe files to find a way use the berries. After a long search, I ended up combining several recipes–a sweet pie crust with a custard and fruit filling. Now it is a delicious blackberry custard tart.  The old-fashioned cooked custard compliments the fresh blackberry flavor and the powdered sugar added to the pie crust gives a little sweetness. Wow!I like this recipe because the blackberries aren’t cooked. They retain fresh fruit flavor and aroma. The glaze is made by melting blackberry jam and spreading it over the fresh berries.The crust is a rolled pie dough crust with a little powdered sugar added. I baked the pie shell in a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.To make the crust, soft tub margarine is blended into the flour, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.Then ice water is added to make the dough. Traditionally, pie crusts are made with solid shortening or butter to yield a flaky pie crust which “melts in your mouth.” This crust wasn’t that flaky but it was still tasty.The trick is to add just enough ice water to make a pliable dough which isn’t sticky. It takes practice to make pie dough successfully; these proportions worked just right. Don’t add too much ice water, if too crumbly add more water drop by drop.Roll the dough out between 2 layers of wax paper (dust wax paper with flour) and then transfer to an 8″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Smooth the pie shell out and trim the edges even with the top of the tart pan.

Poke holes in the bottom to let out steam (so the crust won’t bubble). Bake the pie shell and cool room temperature before adding the custard filling 

The custard filling is a cooked custard with flour and four egg yolks, with a little sugar and vanilla extract for flavoring.Cook the flour, sugar and milk over low heat while stirring constantly while the mixture boils for two minutes. This is tedious, but you won’t have lumps in the custard if you take your time. Here the milk is beginning to thicken.

Separate the four eggs, add the yolks and cook a little longer. Save the egg whites for another recipe. Add the vanilla extract after removing from heat.Cool the custard completely before pouring into the tart shell. This makes a very thick custard. Add fresh blackberries and glaze with melted blackberry jam.

And that’s it. A delicious tart. Strawberries or blueberries can also be used for this tart.

A spring fresh fruit tart!