Golden Raspberry Tart

Hi!

I used to believe I wasn’t a green person. I was a city girl through and through, killing plants left and right like a gunslinger from an old school western movie. Then we bought a house with a big garden and I became completely obsessed moderately interested in planting fruit trees and berry bushes for my baking adventures. One plant took another and now my husband gets nervous ticks every time he sees me browsing plants online…

I have had yellow raspberries for a few years and love the little, golden berries but last year I saw this apricot coloured variety that I had to have. Obviously. You might be lucky to find the berries at local farmers markets too, but if not yellow or red raspberries will be just as delicious! The yellow raspberries tend to be less acidic, sweeter and very aromatic than their red sisters but not enough that it will throw the balance of the tart!

My daughter helped me make this tart and when we had finished placing the blushing raspberries on the tart, she giggled and said it looked like a whole lot of nipples.

If you can get by the Hannibal Lecter like pleasure of eating this, it really is a lovely little thing. Shortcrust with a little lemon zest, orange blossom honey roasted apricot compote and a toasted vanilla pastry cream all come together for a sweet, summery treat. As always - there is room for playing around! Red razzies or strawberries, rose water & honey roasted nectarines or peaches, Tahiti vanilla and fruity olive oil in the pastry cream. Brush the tart shell with a thin layer of dark chocolate for a darker note. Go nuts!

Golden Raspberry Tart

Makes 1 20cm tart

4-500g fresh raspberries or as many as you can fit on the tart

Lemon shortcrust

(makes enough for 2 tarts, you can freeze one half for up to 3 months)

175g butter
100g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
300g flour
25g almond flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Toasted vanilla pastry cream

250ml whole milk
50g sugar
1 vanilla bean
17g cornstarch
2 egg yolks
30g unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

For the tart shell: Cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until very light and pale. Beat in the egg and the yolk, then mix in the flour and salt in 3 batches. Gather into two balls, press flat and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least a few hours or freeze for up to 3 months, until needed.

Roll out to 2-3mm thickness and line a 20cm tart ring with the dough, trim and freeze for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175C. Cover the tart shell with tin foil and fill to the brim with caster sugar. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove the tinfoil and bake the tart for another 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the pastry cream: Use a blowtorch to toast the vanilla bean all over until it just begins to char. Split the bean and scrape out the seeds. Add vanilla seeds and bean to a pot with the whole milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from direct heat, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Heat the vanilla infused milk until simmering and steaming hot. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and corn starch before tempering the yolks by pouring roughly 1/3 of the hot milk over the yolks while whisking. Return the yolks to the hot milk and cook over medium heat, while stirring, until it thickens.

Once the pastry cream thickens and starts to bubble, whisk continuously for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and a pinch of salt. Pass through a chinois or fine meshed sieve into a clean container, cover with a piece of clingfilm directly against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Orange blossom honey roasted apricots

*Adapted from my cookbook More Than Sweet

225g apricots, cut in half and pitted
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
Pinch of salt

Whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Place the apricots snuggly in a small roasting dish cut side up and drizzle the honey and lemon juice over the fruit. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender at 220C. Leave the apricots to cool, then place in a bowl with the orange blossom water and use an immersion blender to process to a chunky compote. Season to taste with a pinch of salt.

Whisk the pastry cream until smooth. Spread a thin layer of the apricot compote (you probably won’t use all of it, eat the leftovers on yoghurt or fold into vanilla ice cream!) in the bottom of the tart shell, then fill the tart shell almost to the edge with the toasted vanilla pastry cream. Arrange the raspberries on top (Personally I like my tarts like Dolly Parton’s hair - “The higher the hair, the closer to God.” So pile them on!) and serve within a few hours