Luxurious French Raspberry Tart Recipe (Tarte aux Framboises)
This French raspberry tart is both beautiful and delicious. It combines fresh raspberries with a decadent vanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissièrie) and a crunchy shortbread (pâte sucrée) crust.
This is exactly the kind of fresh fruit tart that you will find at an authentic French Pâtissière, and I will show you how you can make it at home!
Shortbread Crust (Pâte Sucrée) Dough
Like most French fruit tarts, this one starts with a delicious tart crust base. You will see this base used over and over in French baking, because it is just so versatile.
It is made with simple ingredients including all purpose flour, high quality butter, granulated sugar, a little salt, and one whole egg. It makes for a sturdy base to hold the pastry cream and raspberries.
For this recipe, the tart crust is fully baked prior to filling. This is called blind baking. When blind baking a tart crust, it is important to chill the dough before and after it is placed in the tart tin. Chilling the pastry dough before using a rolling pin to roll it out will make it easier to handle when filling in the tart.
You should also chill the tart dough AFTER placing it in the tart tin. Once the pastry dough is rolled out, transfer it to a tart tin. At this point, place the whole thing (dough and tin) in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking.
This is important because it will prevent the tart crust from shrinking during the baking process.
Baking The Tart Crust Dough
When baking an unfilled tart crust, you can use one of two methods to prevent the tart crust from puffing up.
The first method is to prick the bottom of the unbaked tart crust with a fork, which is called “docking.”
The second method is to place a piece of parchment paper on the unbaked crust and use pie weights (or dry beans). If you choose this method, crumble up the piece of parchment paper and then open it back up before placing it on the unbaked tart crust. This keeps the pie weights from rolling around, and makes it easier to remove it when it is time.
For blind baking the tart crust, I like to use a tart pan with a removable bottom. This makes removing the tart a breeze when the time comes.
Vanilla Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
Crème pâtissière is so decadent, you will be tempted to eat it on its own! It is the key to making this dessert so delicious. It is made with egg yolks, granulated sugar, whole milk, butter, vanilla bean, and a little cornstarch and flour to thicken it up.
I would not recommend substituting pure vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. The vanilla bean is what makes the flavor of the cream so delicious, and the vanilla seeds add those tiny little black specks that are so familiar in high quality pastries.
Cooking the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat will create a stable pastry cream that will be the perfect, luxurious base for those little jewels of raspberries.
After cooking, the pastry cream will need time to chill in the refrigerator prior to use.
To do this, place the cooked cream mixture into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap over the cream, so that it is in contact with the entire surface. This will prevent a weird film from forming on top of pastry cream while it cools.
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh raspberries are a must for this tart. I realize that there are some recipes in which you can substitute frozen or canned fruit. But, this is not one of them.
Fresh raspberries are the only way to go. You will need about 3, 6 oz containers of fresh raspberries. You will probably have a few left over, but keep in mind that some might be crushed, and you won’t want to use these.
When purchasing the raspberries, try to choose those that are ripe, but still firm. Overripe raspberries can be mushy and also messy when their juices leak. Save those for your morning yogurt!
Assembling The Tart
Wait until the last minute to assemble your French raspberry tart. If assemble too far in advance, the pastry cream can make the pastry base soggy.
The good news is that assembly is super quick and easy once all of your individual layers are made. So, it is reasonable to wait until the last minute to assemble it.
Once the tart shell is baked, and cooled to room temperature, and the vanilla pastry cream is chilled, it is assembly time!
Place the baked tart shell on a serving plate. Scoop the pastry cream into the tart shell, and using a spatula, spread the cream in an even layer over the entire bottom. Fill the tart shell to just below the edge of the shell. An offset spatula works nicely to smooth out the pastry cream surface.
Next, it is time for the raspberries. Place a raspberry in the direct center of the filled pastry shell.
Starting from that center raspberry, use concentric circles to cover the entire tart all the way to the edge.
French Raspberry Tart (Tarte Aux Framboises)
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 medium sized saucepan
- 1 whisk
- 1 9 – 9½ inch tart tin
- 3 sheets plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 18 oz. fresh raspberries, about 3 cups
Pâte Sucrée (Tart Crust)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Crème Pâtissière (pastry cream)
- 3 egg yoks
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp granulated sugar (divided)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk (divided)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean pod, cut in half lengthwise
Instructions
Making The Tart Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the cubes of cold butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, toss the cubes of butter in the flour mixture until they are coated. Working quickly as to not allow the butter to melt, press the flour and butter mixture between the fingertips of your thumbs, index, and middle fingers. Continue to press the mixture with your fingertips until the it resembles a grainy mixture. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and heavy cream until incorporated. Drizzle the heavy cream and egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture, and use a fork to toss together until no dry ingredients are visible. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
- Divide the dough into two parts, and shape each into a disk. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill.
Crème Pâtissière (pastry cream)
- While the tart dough is chilling, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Whisk until the mixture turns a light yellow (about 30-45 seconds).
- Add all-purpose flour, and cornstarch, and continue whisking until fully incorporated.
- Next, slowly add only 1/4 cup of milk. Whisk until the mixture loosens slightly. This is your egg mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate medium sized saucepan, combine the remainder 1 cup of milk, unsalted butter, and the remaining 2 tsp of sugar.
- Scrape the seeds from the center of the vanilla pod, and add the vanilla seeds and pod to the saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins simmering. When the milk mixture begins simmering, turn off the heat.
- Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, while continuously mixing. Once all of the milk mixture is added to the egg mixture, return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan.
- Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, while whisking continuously. While whisking, watch the mixture closely for signs of boiling. When the mixture begins to boil, continue stirring for about 30-45 seconds after this point.
- Remove from heat. The mixture should be think and smooth like pudding.
- Pour the mixture into a clean bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of mixture. You want it to be in complete contact. Place the pastry cream in the refrigerator for at least one hour to cool.
Baking the Tart Crust
- While the pastry cream is chilling, remove one tart crust from the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a large enough circle to fill the tart tin, plus 1-2 inches for the sides (eg. a 9 inch tart tin would need a 12-13 inch circle).
- Using your rolling pin, wrap the dough around the rolling pin and gently transfer to the tart tin. Press the dough into the tart tin and up the sides. Use your rolling pin to roll over the edges of the tart tin to remove any excess dough. If the dough tears, simply use the excess to do a little patchwork.
- Place the tin and dough into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the tin and dough from the refrigerator, and use a fork to poke holes on the bottom surface of the unbaked tart dough. Alternatively, place a piece of parchment over the dough, and add pie weights.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. The tart crust should be golden brown along the edges, and fully cooked.
- Remove the tart shell from the oven, and remove the pie weights, if using. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the tart shell from the tin and place the tart shell on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Assembling The Tart
- Place the cooled tart shell on a serving platter. Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and spoon on top of the tart shell to fill it. Smooth the pastry cream until it is even. This is easily done with an offset spatula.
- Place one raspberry in the center of the tart. Begin using concentric circles to cover the surface completely. Serve Immediately or place in the refrigerator for chilling.
Optional Garnishes
This French raspberry tart is beautiful as is. But, if you like, you can also try adding a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top to dress it up.
Or, if you want to give it the shine that you sometimes see on fruit tarts in a Pâtissière window, you can do this easily by using apricot jam.
Here’s how to do it: Gently warm about a quarter cup of the preserves, along with a tablespoon of water, over low heat, until it is runny (not too hot!). Then, use a pastry brush to gently brush the preserves over the raspberries. Place the tart in the refrigerator for a few minutes will “set” the preserves and it will provide a beautiful shine to your raspberries.
Shelf Life Of The French Raspberry Tart
Once your tart is assembled, it is best to serve it immediately. You will get the most out of the individual textures this way. But, if you do happen to have left overs, this tart can keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe! Keep in mind that this works well with any fresh fruit as a substitute for raspberries.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in my other French tart recipes:
Authentic French Chocolate Tart Recipe (Tarte au Chocolat)
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Your recipe mentions egg yolks multiple times but there are no eggs in the ingredients or mention of how many to use
Why do you separate the dough into two disks but then only use one for the tart?
Hi Brooklyn! The dough recipe makes enough for two tarts. I like to put the other in the freezer and save it for a different day. It comes in handy when you want to save some time on dessert. 🙂
Hello, thank you for letting me know! The egg yolk amount has been updated. 🙂
I haven’t made it yet but in reading your instructions for making the crust, there is a mistake. In step one, you say to make them into disks but that’s done in step three. FYI!
Thank you, Ingrid! I appreciate you letting me know. The mistake is fixed! 🙂