This double raspberry tart is delicious fresh and creamy. It combines a Pâte Sucrée crust (sweet shortcrust pastry) with a bright raspberry curd filling topped with jam-filled fresh raspberries.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream the soft butter and sifted icing sugar for a couple of minutes or until just smooth. Stop to scrape the bowl if required.
Mix in the egg and almond meal to get a thick, coarse paste. Add the flour and salt and mix on low, stopping as soon as the dough comes together into a rough mixture (see note 1).
Bring the dough together into a ball and place between two large sheets of baking paper / parchment paper. Press with your hand to flatten the pastry, then roll using a rolling pin (see note 2) into a large disk that is about 4 mm (1/6 inch) thick.
Place the flat dough on a large baking tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Leave at room temperature for a couple of minutes to soften the pastry then peel off the baking paper and place the pastry inside a 24 cm (9,5-inch) tart pan. Gently bend the pastry down into the corner of the tart tin to create a 90 degree angle (see note 3).
Cut off any excess pastry with a small pairing knife. Place back in the fridge for at least 2 hour - preferably overnight (up to 24 hours).
Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius (325 degree Fahrenheit). Dock the pastry (prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork) and place in the freezer while the oven is preheating. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly golden and completely dry (see note 4). Set aside to cool down completely.
Raspberry Curd Filling
Blend the raspberries (fully thawed and drained if using frozen raspberries) until completely smooth, using a regular blender or immersion blender. Pour the raspberry puree through a fine mesh strainer placed over a non-reactive medium saucepan. Press the puree through the strainer using a spatula and discard any leftover seeds or lumps.
Mix in the egg yolks and sugar, then the cornstarch. Place on the stove on low heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes while constantly stirring with a heat-proof spatula. The sugar should have dissolved and the mixture should have started to very slightly thicken (see note 5).
Add the cubed butter a little bit at a time and whisk until completely incorporated into the mixture. Continue to cook and stir for about 5 minutes (more or less depending on the heat and size of saucepan) or until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon or spatula (see note 6).
Optionally, pour again through a fine mesh sieve to remove any leftover seeds or bits of cooked egg.
Assembling the tart
Pour the warm curd inside the baked tart crust and spread it into an even layer using a small offset spatula. Place in the fridge to chill and set for 1 hour; the curd should have started to set but still feel slightly soft.
Wash and pat dry the fresh raspberries. Press them into the raspberry curd, hollow side facing up.
Place the raspberry jam in a pastry bag and cut a very small hole at the tip. Pipe some raspberries jam inside each raspberry to fill them.
Place back in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours to allow for the raspberry curd to set completely before serving.
Video
Notes
Make sure not to over-mix the pastry as we want to avoid creating too much gluten. To check that the pastry dough is ready, press some of the crumbs together in your hand. They should stick together.
I recommend using a rolling pin with thickness rings or thickness strips to get an even thickness.
If the pastry is too hard and not malleable, leave for a few more minutes at room temperature. If it gets too soft, place back in the fridge for a few minutes. If the pastry cracks, simply patch it up with your fingers.
Optionally, you can brush the pastry with some egg white 5 minutes before the end of the baking time to "seal" the pastry. If the pastry has been properly chilled and rested, you won't need any pie weights, beans or rice to weigh it down.
Make sure to stay on the lowest heat or the eggs might cook too quickly and start to scramble. This would give you a curdled or lumpy curd.
Ideally, use a kitchen thermometer to check if the curd is cooked. The curd is ready when it reaches around 82 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Fahrenheit).