his
pretty
tart has three components; the sweet pastry crust, the cream filling, and the
fresh raspberries. Each part has its own unique texture and flavor that
complement each other so well. When raspberries are out of season or just too
expensive, try making this tart with other fruits such as blackberries, pitted
cherries or even sliced peaches, nectarines or pears.
Let's start with
the sweet pastry crust, also called Pâte
Sucrée.
While you may use shortening in your pie
crusts, for this tart shell we use
unsalted butter and a surprise ingredient; an egg. This gives the crust a rich
sweet buttery flavor and a cookie-like crumb that is very similar to the French
cookie,
Sablé
(French Butter Cookie or Breton Biscuit). In fact, if you have leftover dough,
you can use it to make these cookies. The tart shell is pre-baked which means the
dough has been rolled out, placed in the tart pan, chilled, lined with parchment
paper and pie weights, and baked in a hot oven. Do not bypass the step of
chilling the tart shell before baking as this step is very important to prevent
shrinkage.
Once the tart
shell is baked, we then need to make the cream filling which can be made in your
food processor or mixer. I like this filling as it contains both cream cheese and light
cream. The cream cheese gives it a slight tangy flavor, while the cream gives it
a rich and creamy taste. Adding the zest (outer skin) of a lemon or lime gives
it a fruity flavor which also complements the fresh raspberries. Once the filling is poured into the prebaked tart shell,
the berries are added, and then the tart is baked until the filling is set. This
tart is delicious either warm from the oven or cold.
When baking with
any fruit it is important to use the best you can buy. Raspberries are no
exception so look for ones that have a deep red color, are plump and juicy
without the cores attached. If the core is still attached the raspberries were
picked too early and the berries will be sour. And be sure to avoid berries that
are soft and mushy or have any bruises, black spots or mold. You need to check
the underside of the container and pass by those that have squashed berries or
red stains.
Sweet Pastry Crust:
In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat
until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until
incorporated. Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color. Add flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't
overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.
Flatten dough into disk,
cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
Have ready an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart
pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the
pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm)
thick. To prevent the pastry from sticking to
the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the
pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry
outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is
the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out
pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.
When the pastry is rolled to
the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your
rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too
much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small
floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll
your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top again to get
rid of any extra pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the
dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for 20
minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
(205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line unbaked pastry
shell with parchment
paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice or beans, making sure
the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire
surface. Bake crust for 20 to 25
minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown. Remove weights and cool
crust on wire rack before filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees
(177 degrees C) and have oven rack in the center of the oven.
FOR FILLING:
In a food processor or electric mixer place the
cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar and beat until incorporated.
Add eggs, one at a time, and process until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients and
beat until well blended and smooth.
Place the tart pan on a
larger baking pan. Carefully pour the filling into the pre-baked tart
shell. Arrange the raspberries evenly around the tart shell and then bake
the tart for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the filling is set (test by gently
shaking the pan). Transfer tart to wire rack to cool.
Serve warm or cold accompanied by softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
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