Raspberry Tarts

I branched out recently and made tarts instead of a pie!

 I received these beautiful little scalloped tart pans as a wedding gift from an aunt. I love them! 

Two of our friends came over for brunch one day and they left behind 3 packages of raspberries, so I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to make raspberry tarts! 

I chose a recipe from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. The recipe for the crust was very worrisome. The book tells you to use a food processor, which we don't have. You are supposed to cut up the butter into pieces and then put it in the processor with the flour etc. I used a method that I learned from the Brown Eyed Baker where you grate the butter and then add it.  Anyway, the dough was extremely crumbly. There was no way on earth that I could roll it out like it says in the book.  So I improvised and just smooshed it into the tart pans.  Thank heavens, it turned out really delicious!

So for these tarts there are 3 components: (1) the crust, which you bake separately at first and then let cool before you add (2) the raspberries which you pack into each tart, and then (3) the filling which you pour over the raspberries and bake.

It looked so beautiful.

 

And presto chango! They are done!

 

When making tartlets as opposed to one large tart, be sure that you are checking them way before the time used for a 9 inch tart. When I baked the empty tart shells I checked them 10 minutes before the recipe said to and they were already quite a bit browner than I would have liked.

 Look at those beautiful scalloped edges. Glorious!

I gave two of the tarts to our friends who left the raspberries. They were pleased with the transformation.

I would definitely make these again. The raspberries were still tart which Clay and I both loved. It makes a very bright flavor. And also, tart is the name of the game!  Clay really wants me to try lemon tarts next.