Lemon, Berry, and Lavender Tart

Last summer my MIL bought me some culinary lavender, as well as, a cookbook on how to utilize this wonderful herb. This is one of my favorite recipes from that book- a lovely, purple tasting dessert. Simple enough for a picnic brunch, elegant enough for a dinner party.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 1 tart

Ingredients

• Pastry

• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon  ice water

• Custard

• 5  eggs
• 1  cup sugar
• 2  teaspoons  culinary  lavender (the flower pletals)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1⁄2 cups blueberries or 1 1⁄2 cups raspberries or 1 1⁄2 cups blackberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400*.
2. For the crust: whisk together the flour, salt, and 1 t.
3. sugar.
4. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Pat into a tart pan (preferably one with a removable base), line with wax paper and fill with baking weights (or raw rice or beans) and bake 10 minutes.
6. For the filling: Whisk eggs, 1 cup sugar, and lavender together.
7. Add lemon juice and melted butter and mix well.
8. Place cleaned berries in tart shell and pour filling over berries* and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
9. *If you have more custard then your tart can hold- pour in as much as you can then strain the lavender out of what's left over.
10. Add lavender to tart.
11. You want to make sure all that lavender goodness makes it into the dessert.