Published May 1, 2005.
To perfect our baked berry tart recipe—using a prebaked tart shell loaded with blackberries and topped with a simple butter, egg, sugar, and flour batter before baking—we focused on the filling, since we were already happy with our classic pâte sucrée crust. We heightened the filling’s flavor by browning the butter instead of simply melting it and substituted Wondra flour for all-purpose flour in our berry tart filling recipe, for a smooth and silky (rather than starchy and coarse) texture.
To minimize waste, reserve the egg white left from making the tart pastry for use in the filling. If your blackberries are either very tart or very sweet, adjust the amount of sugar in the filling by about a tablespoon or so. Wondra flour is sold in small canisters in the baking aisle alongside all-purpose flour. All-purpose can be used in place of Wondra, but it will give the filling a slightly starchy, gritty feel. The tart is best eaten the day it is made. Leftovers, however, should be refrigerated and brought to room temperature before serving (unfortunately, the crust will be soggy, but the flavor of the tart will be almost as good as when eaten fresh).
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