Saturday, August 08, 2009

Ring Mountain Wild Blackberry Tart

Wild Blackberry Tart

Fresh Picked Berries

Ring Mountain View

There is a small bay area mountain behind my house here in Marin County called Ring Mountain, its great for hiking and the views from the top are amazing. Today I discovered blackberries growing wild on a mid morning hike up the mountain, they are just beginning to ripen and bursting with a tart juicy sweetness. I had to take advantage of all the berries by picking a bag full for a for a tart I plan to make. I started by using small four inch tart pans to make single serving tarts. I made a basic sweet pie dough using flour, butter, sugar and ice water, after I rolled out the dough and lined the small pans I pre cooked them, this method is called blind baking. Next I tossed the berries in sugar and cornstarch which will help thicken the juice from the berries. Then into a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, the individual pies are now done and need to cool before coming out of the tart pans. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream are perfect to serve with them while still warm. The kids loved them and want to go back for more.

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