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Raspberry Custard Tart

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This Raspberry Custard Tart is a simple tart that showcases fresh raspberries in an easy to make, yet elegant, dessert. The tart is filled with a vanilla custard that is cooked on the stovetop and lightened with a little bit of whipped cream. The custard is studded with fresh, juicy raspberries which go well with the creamy custard and visually “pop” against it for a beautful presentation. I used my All Purpose Tart Dough as the base of the tart, which has a light, crispy texture and a buttery flavor that is a nice backdrop for the vanilla and berries.

Since the tart is topped with fresh fruit and is filled with a chilled vanilla custard, this tart seems perfect for summer entertaining. I used raspberries to finish mine off, but you can use other berries or combine a variety of fruits to suit both your tastes and what is in season. Whatever fruit you choose, the tart is best assembled and served on the day it is made, when the custard and tart shell are at their peak. This isn’t to say that the leftovers won’t still be tasty – they will be – but the tart shell may begin to soften slightly after sitting with the custard filling for more than a day. Both the tart shell and the custard can be prepared a day or so in advance, so you will only need to assemble the tart the day you intend to serve it.

Lots of people prefer to glaze their fruit when serving uncooked fruit in a tart. You can glaze your berries by heating up some apricot or seedless raspberry jam and brushing it onto the fruit with a pastry brush. This gives the fruit a very shiny finish and is commonly used at most bakeries to make the tarts look pretty. I don’t personally care for glazing fruit unnecessarily, and my raspberries were so incredibly fresh and sweet that I didn’t want to cover them up with jam unnecessarily. If you want a glossy, “finished” look, you can definitely glaze your berries, but otherwise feel free to leave them plain and enjoy them as they are – just as I did.

Raspberry Custard Tart

Raspberry Custard Tart
1 10 or 11-inch tart shell, prebaked and cooled
1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
12-16-oz fresh raspberries (approx 3 cups) washed

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a simmer over medium heat.
While milk is heating, combine egg, egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, then add cornstarch and beat until smooth again.
When the milk has come to a simmer, very slowly drizzle it into the egg mixture while whisking constantly (tempering) until all of the milk has been added. Return the mixture to the sauce pan. Cookover medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the custard thickens – 3-5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.
Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl, cover surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Assembly
When custard has cooled and you are ready to fill the tart, whisk the custard vigorously to smooth it out.
In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold custard mixture into the whipped cream, working in one or two batches.
Fill the prepared tart shell with the cream and evenly distribute raspberries over the custard. Chill for 1 hour before serving to set the filling slightly.

Serves 10.

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