French Raspberry Tart (Tarte Aux Framboises)

Gaby Buller

This recipe combines a pâte sucrée crust with decadent vanilla crème pâtissière and fresh ripe raspberries to create a delicious dessert.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 1 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8 servings

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.

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.

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.

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.

Keyword pastry cream, raspberries, raspberry tart