Blueberry Crumble Tart

Blueberries are one of Beep's favorites and instead of making muffins or a blueberry sauce, I decided to try something different. It was our 21st anniversary and I had bought berries a week ago and they needed desperately to be used. I found a great recipe for blueberry bars on the web but didn't have enough berries for the recipe and decided to wing it! A couple of ingredient substitutions and a variation in the baking dish, and Dr. Frankenstein has a new creature. This is the result, not a tart, not a pie, but the perfect combination of filling and crust from a bar recipe. Served warm with vanilla ice cream it is the perfect combination of tart berries and buttery crust! You will love it, I promise.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3 inch deep tart pan with Pam.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 C Sugar plus an additional 1/4 C
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2 C Flour
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon, over flowing
4 oz. Butter chilled and cubed
1/2 Egg beaten, 3/4 oz if you have a scale
1/4 tsp. Almond extract
2 C Blueberries, fresh
2 tsp. Corn Starch
1/2 tsp. Lemon juice


PREPARATION:
First mix the ingredients for the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add cubed butter and egg, mix in with forks or pastry cutter. I also like to use my fingers until well combined. You should have 2 1/2 cups of dough. Press approximately 1 1/2 cups of the dough into the bottom of the tart pan an partially up the sides. In a separate bowl, combine the 1/4 C sugar, extract, cornstarch, lemon juice and berries and sprinkle evenly over the tart shell. Top with remaining crumble and bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. I placed the tart pan on a baking sheet and baked on the lower rack of my oven for 30 minutes rotating half way through, then moved to the top rack for the remaining 10-15 minutes until the crumble was golden brown. (I couldn't help taking a peek every now and then, it is done once the berries are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.) Allow to cool, loosen edges with a knife or an off-set spatula and remove from tart pan. Cut a slice, warm in the microwave and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. YUM!!! It is like the perfect slice of blueberry pie, not too much filling and the perfect amount of buttery crust.