bilberry and cardamom pie (blåbärtårta)
During the long Nordic summers, we go bilberry picking. Bilberry is a wild blueberry – the colour is deep and intense all the way through the berry. It turns everything a deep purple. In Scandinavia we simply call them blåbär (blueberries) – and we often get a little surprised when we eat blueberries elsewhere as they don’t have the same intensity that we’re used to. If you can’t get hold of bilberries, use blueberries – frozen are absolutely fine. The result will be a little less liquid, but still delicious.
Servings: 8 portions
Ingredients
- plain/all-purpose flour for dusting
- 1/2 x quantity Sweet Short Crust Pastry use this one here https://scandikitchen.co.uk/applepie/ - or store bought
- 200-300 g frozen bilberries or blueberries
- 1 –2 tablespoons cornflour OR
- 1 a grated eating apple depending on how juicy your berries are
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
- MAZARIN BASE
- 150 g min 50% almond content marzipan
- 75 g 6 tablespoons caster sugar
- 100 g butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 50 g plain flour
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
- To make the mazarin base, in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the marzipan and the sugar until well combined, then add the butter and the eggs, one by one. Sift in the flour and salt and fold gently into the egg mixture.
- Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the pastry until you have a piece that fits your pan and also goes well over the edges (you may have some left over). Transfer to the prepared pan.
- Add the bilberries to a bowl and then add the cornflour/ cornstarch (or apple) and cardamom and orange zest (you can use other citrus fruit if you prefer).
- Spoon the marzipan mixture into the pastry case. Add the bilberries on top (if you find these are too wet, drain before adding – blueberries will usually not contain as much juice as bilberries so do adapt accordingly).
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes or until it is baked through. Leave to stand in the pan for several hours before slicing.
Notes
Tip: if you’re using berries with not very intense flavour, add some good quality bilberry jam, too. Like the one we make.
a 28-cm/11-in. round tart pan (loose- bottomed is great – but you can also line with baking parchment and use a closed pan or dish)
Taken from the book Bronte at Home published by Ryland, Peters and Small.
