Blackberry Almond Tart with Sage-Infused Pastry Cream

Ingredients

For the Crust:
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
For the Pastry Cream:
• 2 fresh sage leaves
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
For the Toppings:
• 2 pints fresh blackberries
• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 fresh sage leaves to garnish

Instructions

Preparing the Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place almonds and flour in a food processor and blitz until the almonds are ground into a fine meal.
3. Add sugar, lemon zest, and salt into the processor with the almond flour and process to combine.
4. Add butter and process until the mixture looks like slightly damp sand.
5. Add egg and process until the dough clumps together and forms a ball.
6. Press dough into a flat disc, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
7. When dough has chilled, roll dough out on a floured surface until it reaches a diameter of approximately 11 inches.
8. Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan, pressing dough in on the bottom and along the sides of the pan.
9. Spray a piece of tin foil with non-stick cooking spray and insert, sprayed side down, on top of the dough.
10. Top foil with pie weights (we like to use dried kidney beans!).
11. Bake tart shell for twenty minutes.
12. Remove pie weights and foil and bake tart shell for 5-10 more minutes or until slightly browned.
Preparing the Pastry Cream:
13. Heat milk and sage leave over medium-high heat in a sauce pan until the milk just begins to simmer.
14. Meanwhile, combine flour and sugar in medium-sized bowl.
15. Once the milk is hot, remove the sage leaves.
16. Whisk the hot milk into the flour and sugar until well combined.
17. Return mixture to sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until it begins to boil and thicken.
18. Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat well.
19. SLOWLY pour milk mixture into egg yolks, whisking all the while.
20. Once egg yolks and milk mixture are combined, return the mixture to the sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook until the pastry cream reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
21. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight.
Preparing the toppings:
22. Rinse and dry fresh blackberries.
23. In a saute pan, combine almonds and brown sugar over medium-high heat.
24. Cook until sugar has melted and almonds are lightly browned.
25. Pour almonds out onto a tin foil lined plate and let cool to room temperature.
Assembling the tart:
26. Fill your cooled tart shell with chilled pastry cream.
27. Tumble the blackberries out over the pastry cream in a single even layer.
28. Chop up caramelized almonds and tuck the shard in amongst the blackberries.
29. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and enjoy!

Notes