raspberry cream tart

When I think of raspberries, I think of my in-laws. In the early to late fall, there is a beautiful "u-pick" raspberry farm close to their home that has the most delectable raspberries known to man. My mother-in-law introduced me to them a few years ago on one of our visits back home.

Picture a long winding drive, a couple of dogs greeting you with excited barks and a middle-aged woman smiling as she tends to her stand. The stand is stocked full of treasures such as homemade breads, jams and the most exquisite raspberry flower honey I have ever tasted. She greets you with a smile and a basket to collect the berries, points you in the direction of the most plentiful bushes and sends you on your way. Once you arrive at the raspberry bushes, you notice how peaceful it is and you begin to collect the sweet red berries. Most of the berries make it into the basket, but a few are so beautiful and ripe, they beg to be eaten right then!

Before you know it an hour has passed and you have an entire basket of ripe red raspberries. Upon paying for the berries, and acquiring a quart of honey, I head home dreaming of all the beautiful things I can create with them.

Raspberry cream tarts are on my list of go-to items for entertaining. They have a flaky shortbread crust dotted with Tahitian vanilla beans, red raspberry jam and a sweet whipped cream, enhanced with pure raspberry extract. In the summer months, I will occasionally add a layer of lemon curd, but during the busy holiday season raspberries are all you need to make these perfect!

Raspberry Cream Tart Recipe

Sweet Tart DoughTart Dough Recipe from Epicurious

Ingredients:

2 1/4 sticks (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla

Directions:

Cut butter into small squares. In a food processor pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt until combined well and add butter, pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl whisk together yolks, ice water, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, pulsing until incorporated. Form dough into a ball and divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten to form disks. Chill disks, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Form 1 dough disk into twenty-four 1-inch balls, keeping remaining disk wrapped and chilled. Press dough balls into bottoms and up sides of cooking spray prepared twenty-four mini tart pans. Chill 15 minutes, then bake 12-15 minutes until very light golden brown. Let cool and then remove from tart pans by inverting and tapping on the bottom of pan. Handle carefully!

Raspberry Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

½ c. Raspberry Jam
2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. raspberry extract

Directions:

Place heavy cream, sugar and raspberry extract in mixing bowl with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Spoon into pastry bag

Remove tart shells from tart pans and place on baking sheet, spoon about a half teaspoon of jam into the bottom of the shell. Spoon or pipe the raspberry whipped cream on top of the jam. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

*Can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated

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