Raspberries are in season. As with strawberries, I don’t know anyone who dislikes raspberries. But the fresh raspberries in supermarkets sold in plastic containers often are imported. These are available all year and look plump and pretty most of time, but they don’t have much flavor.
At my local farmers market, one of my favorite farmers, Lucero Organic Farms, produces small but delicious strawberries every summer when most of the local strawberries are gone. However, sadly, their strawberries are not growing well this year (I was told that it was too hot over the past few months). It is a big disappointment for me, but fortunately their raspberries are plentiful and very wonderful this year; they are small but fragrant and delicious. I have been enjoying eating them as is, on top of vanilla ice cream, in tartlets, in coulis (with sugar and lemon juice), and in my breakfast pastry. What a joy!
This tart uses crème fraiche cream (mixture of crème fraiche, egg yolk and a little sugar) for the base/filling of the tart, instead of custardy pastry cream. It is easy to make, but most importantly the cream sauce brings a cool, refreshing taste to the tart and complements the delicate flavor of the raspberries.
I used a soft, butter cookie-like dough (pâte sablée), and added some cocoa powder in the dough for chocolate fans. Baking the tart after assembling to set the cream is traditional, but If you don’t want to bake this tart to set the cream, that’s OK. You can just bake small tartlets, fill with the cream, place raspberries on top, and dust with a little confectioners’ sugar. That’s it. It is probably better this way in summer – you can enjoy more of the freshness of the raspberries. Just make sure to chill the cream well before assembling the tart and serve immediately.
- 1 pâte sablée shell, prebaked (baked about ⅔), recipe below
- 3 large very fresh egg yolks
- ¾ cup (180 g) crème fraiche or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pint (2 cups, 250 g) fresh raspberries
- 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
- PÂTE SABLÉE (sweet pastry)
- For one 10-inch tart pan or ten 3-inch tartlets
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (70 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
- Place the flour, butter, salt, sugar and cocoa powder (if using) in bowl of a food processor. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add the egg and pulse until the dough begins to hold together, about 20 pulses. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap and then chill about 30 minutes.
- Dust your fingers with flour, then, working very quickly with just your fingertips, press the dough into tart pan. Press the dough up the sides of the pan and crimp evenly. Cover carefully with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight, until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prick the bottom shell with tines of a fork. Line the shell loosely with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, pressing well into the edges so the pastry does not shrink while baking. Fill with baking weights, rice or dried beans—making sure you get all the way into the edges—to prevent shrinkage.
- Bake just until pasty begins to brown around edges and seems firm enough to stand up by itself, about 20 minutes for a partially-baked shell.
- Remove the weights and foil and continue baking until lightly browned all over, about 10 more minutes, for a fully-baked shell (if not cooking with filling and berries). Remove from the oven and cool the shell completely on the rack before filling.
- Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F (180° C). Place the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl and beat well with a fork. Add the crème fraiche and the sugar and mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into the cooled pastry shell.
- Carefully arrange the berries in a single layer on top of the cream.
- Place in the center of the oven and bake just until the cream filling begins to set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. Sprinkle evenly with confectioners’ sugar.
- Allow to cool thoroughly before serving.
