Raspberry Tart
This beautiful free-form raspberry tart, utilizes the same two components as last weeks’ Napoleons; puff pastry and pastry cream. For the tart shell, we roll the dough out to a thin rectangle, cut a large circle, decoratively crimp the edge, and bake it to light golden brown. Once cool it is filled with whipped cream-lightened pastry cream then covered with red raspberries.
The resulting tart is a delightful, light dessert, a perfect ending to a rich dinner.
Napoleons
| Yield: 9 ½” tart | # of servings: 8 |
Ingredients:
12 oz Puff Pastry or 1 box store bought frozen puff pastry
½ recipe Pastry Cream
â…“ cup (2.67 fl oz) heavy cream
2 to 3 half-pints fresh red raspberries
1 egg. beaten
Confectioners’ sugar, as needed
Special tools and equipment:
- Half sheet pan (17.5″ by 12.5″) lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
- 21″ pastry bag with plain round tip, optional
- 12″ wide plate, cake pan, or cardboard circle
- Small pastry wheel
- Small offset spatula, optional
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Clear a space in the refrigerator to hold the 17.5″ by 12.5″ half sheet pan
- Clear space on your work counter or kitchen island to roll out the puff pastry.
Directions
Rolling out and baking the pastry:
- Roll the puff pastry into a 13″ by 13″ square. Roll over the rolling pin and drape onto the sheet pan.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator until the dough is cold, approximately 40 minutes.
- Remove pan from the refrigerator and place the puff dough (still on the silpat or parchment) on the counter.
- Cut a 12″ wide circle with pastry wheel or small paring knife (being careful not to cut into the silpat).
- Brush the beaten egg over the outer ½” of the circle and crimp the edge. Brush the crimped edge.
- Pierce (dock) the dough with a dinner fork in several places.
- Slide the dough circle back on the pan and return to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour1.
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Bake the puff pastry circle until golden brown, approximately 20 to 22 minutes. Keep an eye on the pastry after 15 minutes, if it is getting overly brown reduce heat of 350 °F.
- Turn oven off, and let the pastry stay in turned off oven for another 5 minutes, to ensure it is baked through.
- Remove pan from oven, place on rack until cool.
Finishing the tart:
- In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream until medium peaks.
- Place the pastry cream in medium mixing bowl. Stir a large tablespoon of the whipped cream into it to lighten, then fold in the remainder.
- Place the pastry circle on a serving plate. Pipe or spread the pastry cream over the tart up to ¼” of the edge.
- Arrange the raspberries over the top in concentric circles.
- Keep refrigerated until dessert time. Optional – a light sifting of confectioners’ sugar right before serving.
