Take Tea & Blackberry Tarts

“I don’t take art too seriously.  The nice thing about drawing is if you get tired, you can always bake a pie, or finish the dishes.  I don’t have a studio, I work on the kitchen table.  When you get tired of housework, you can stop and draw.  Anything I enjoy, I don’t consider work. They say art is the reflection of an age and I think it certainly is true, but I’m behind the times.  Time was invented by man, so it doesn’t really matter.  I’ve done just as I pleased all my life and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of it.” ~Tasha Tudor

We’re in celebration mode here with several family birthdays falling within days of each other, and adding to our festivities we’re taking part in Tasha Tudor Day!  (August 28th was her birthday.)  If you want to tag along, start here and weave your way through blogville to find more birthday tributes, recipes, and plain old-fashioned sweetness.   I’ll be sharing my recipe for blackberry filling today. So grap a cuppa and join us!

 I must say, summer seems to be coming to an early end here.  Most of our garden tomatoes are still green on the vines, and what little else we managed to salvage from the voles and varmints has suddenly gone to seed.  Oh well.  It was, however, a grand year for blackberries.  There are still so many.  We've picked bucketfuls almost daily and had to figure out what to do with them.  Once we had our fill of cobbler, I made freezer pies and jam for the winter stores.   This week, I made a big pot of blackberry fruit filling for tarts and turn-overs.  If you have a lot of fruit from your backyard trees or berry bushes, this filling is the answer.  It can be adapted for most fruit and berries quite easily by adjusting the amount of cornstarch used, this depending on how much water is in the fruit you’re using.  Blackberries, in particular, have a lot of water and tend to get runny when you cook them, where as apples do not, so my recipe is heavy on the thickening and this works especially well for blackberries. 

 First, let me assure you that none of this is hard.  A little time management is a good idea though.  In other words, this isn't something that can be whipped up at the very last moment or even in the same day if you’re like me and don’t like to stand in the kitchen for more than an hour at a time.  I manage this best in small steps, while carrying on with other things to keep it all from feeling like a huge production.  The filling can be made the day before, which is all for the best, because it allows the fruit mixture to cool and gel up completely before you work with it.  Ditto with any pastry you make since it needs to be chilled as well.  Both can stay in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to assemble and bake (or freeze), as you prefer.  I like to do both at the same time.  Here's my recipe . . .

Heat everything gradually to a gentle boil, stirring frequently and adjusting heat to avoid scorching.  Mixture will thicken up between 10-20 minutes.  Remove from heat; let cool for half an hour.  Cover pot with the lid and refrigerate overnight. 

 

 

OK, so now that you have all that yummy filling, you can make all kinds of things with it, like jam tarts, turn-overs, and scrumptious cookies for tea parties.  You can use a basic cookie crust for the heart tarts (shown), or this one for instance.  I buy pre-made frozen puff-pastry sheets for the turn-overs.   Cut the sheets in thirds along the fold lines, then into thirds again to make a total of nine squares per sheet.  Brush the edges with cold water, put about a teaspoon of filling in the middle and pinch them closed forming triangles; use a fork to seal the edges and to poke "blow holes" in the center of each.  Bake them on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, OR freeze them (unbaked) on cookie sheets and pack them in storage containors with wax paper between the layers.  Some empty ice cream boxes work well if you want to avoid using plasic, and it's a nice way to re-use them.  These will keep up to six months in the freezer.  I love having things like this on hand and ready to bake when guests drop by unexpectedly and for special occasions, when there's no time to fuss in the kitchen. The heart tarts can be made the same way and kept frozen too. Please help yourself to one. 

 

 

Or perhaps you'd care to try a blackberry turn-over.

I made plenty for our little 'remembering tasha' tea party here today.  I'm so happy you stopped by.  Cheers!

Comments

[Mari-Nanci]

Thank you for your lovely Tasha Tudor entry.

And sigh, our tomatoes are green still tooo. Methinks we will have Fried Green Tomatoes this year, for the first time. :-)

Gentle hugs,
Miss Mari-Nanci
Smilnsigh blog

[Gina]

I love love blackberries, tarts and turnovers, and Tasha Tudor. What a wonderful post!
:-) Gina

[Laurie]

Those tarts and turnovers look yummy and they are so lovely. Tasha certainly had her own way, didn't she. I admire it.

[clarice]

Isn't it wonderful to see Tasha everywhere today. By the way, we have been wanting to make hand pies. I LOVE your, we will try them. Thank you xoxoxo Clarice

[Lorrie]

My tomatoes are still green, too. Your blackberry filling recipe is one I'm definitely going to try. I've made jam and have tons of berries in the freezer for cobblers and such, but the turnovers will be a special treat.

Lorrie

[Velma]

I live in the south. I have been putting up peach & pear preserves, and pear butter. I have plenty of blueberries in the freezer that I picked this year. Your filling recipe looks so good! I will try it with my blueberries. The tarts and turnovers you made make my mouth water just to looking at them! Oh dear Tasha, she is truely missed!

[Cheryl K. Bennett]

aw. I love your blog.
I love Tasha, too and am a brand new Corgi mama!
"anything I enjoy I don't consider work."
I work plenty hard in my garden...but love every moment!

we have apples and pears that almost ready.
Cheryl

[Natalie]

This entire post is a recipe for bliss... even if I never get around to doing anything you've suggested, I feel better just thinking of it. Thank you.

[miss paula]

Oh wow! The pastries look so good. Everyone is posting food and it is lunch time and I am hungry!

I love the little picture of the berry pickers, very sweet!

[Deb]

Your blackberry tarts look delicious!
Wonderful Tasha Tudor post :-)

[cathleen]

Yummy, these look delish. And I will take two lumps of sugar in my tea with a spot of milk. Thanks for the recipe.

[Catherine]

Your turnovers and tarts look delightful. Now to hunt the country for a neglected blackberry patch!

I was also curious where you found that Tasha quote. I don't think I've seen that one before...thanks!

[cottage45]

I think summer is ending early here too. Those turnovers look delicious.

[judy]

I'll have a turnover, thank you.

[Cathy Santarsiero]

I will stop by the Farmer's Market tomorrow and pick up some more berries to give your 'receipt' (as Tasha would say!) a try. It looks scrumptious! We've got a few family birthdays in August as well! We're celebrating Tasha Tudor day over at The Christmas Corgi too. Stop by and say hello! Warmly, Cathy ^..^

[June]

What a wonderful tribute to Tasha Tudor and a delightful recipe. A very happy birthday to all your family members celebrating a birthday.

[Carrie]

What a beautiful blog you have. This post is so delightful and inspiring, it makes me want to savor the last bit of summer. My tomatoes are still green too:(

[Chris]

Those blackberry turnovers look so scrummy. I could just eat one now.

[Penny]

Thank-you so much for this post! I love pastries and I know these will be visiting my oven very soon!

[jamie in rose cottage]

Sounds delicious!

[Linnea]

Those tarts are just so perfect!!

[Suzanne]

Yum, yum , yum!!!Just perfect:-)

[nan]

Thanks so much for this recipe, it's been a while since I've stopped by and I'm so glad I did! You are as inspiring as ever! Nan

[Elizabeth]

Those heart tarts are adorable!

[geek+nerd]

Oooh, I'm catching up on my blog reading and I wanted to say thanks for sharing this! Those little hearts look divinely tasty!

Also, I never knew that Tasha Tudor and I share a birthday. Such fun!

[Victoria]

Lovely blog. Tasha, that's one for me to look up.. thanks for sharing!