Raspberry Tarts with Piped Cream
April 25, 2019
“I gotta admit they are kinda cute.”
I gotta admit they are kinda cute. Two tarts that I decorated in alternating rings of fresh raspberries and peaked dollops of white cream, laid out like a flower.
The alternating pattern is simple and striking, and it depends on uniformity: raspberries sorted by size, cream piped with the same pressure every time, and a quick straight lift to form each peak. Raspberries are the classic tart fruit because they need no cutting and so they don't bleed. A good tart of this kind balances three textures: the crisp shell, the smooth cream and the burst of fresh fruit.
This article is written in Corey’s voice for this tribute site, based on his captions and blog. His own words are the quotes above.
Raspberry Tart
Tarte aux framboises is one of the simplest and most loved French fruit tarts: a sweet pastry shell, a creamy base and tightly packed fresh raspberries. This version bakes almond cream into the shell for a moist, nutty layer, adds a thin smear of raspberry jam, and finishes with piped vanilla chantilly.
Ingredients
Pâte sucrée
- 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 30 g almond flour (1/3 cup)
- 95 g powdered sugar (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 2 g fine salt (1/3 tsp)
- 150 g unsalted butter, soft but cool (10 1/2 tbsp)
- 50 g egg (1 large)
Almond cream
- 100 g unsalted butter, soft (7 tbsp)
- 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 100 g almond flour (1 cup)
- 100 g eggs, room temperature (2 large)
- 15 g all-purpose flour (2 tbsp)
- 10 g dark rum or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- 80 g raspberry jam (1/4 cup)
- 500 g fresh raspberries (4 cups)
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Vanilla chantilly
- 250 g heavy cream, 35% fat or higher, very cold (1 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 25 g powdered sugar (3 tbsp)
- Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Make the dough: beat the butter, powdered sugar and salt until smooth, add the almond flour and egg, then the flour, mixing just until combined. Chill at least 2 hours.
- Roll to 3 mm (1/8 inch), line a 9-inch (23 cm) tart ring and chill 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Blind bake with parchment and weights for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and bake 5 minutes more. The shell should be set and pale, not fully coloured.
- For the almond cream, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, mix in the almond flour, then the eggs one at a time, and finally the flour and rum. Do not whip in air.
- Spread the almond cream in the par-baked shell, filling it about halfway. Bake 20-25 minutes until puffed, golden and set in the centre. Cool completely.
- Spread the jam in a thin layer over the cooled almond cream.
- Arrange the raspberries hollow side down in tight concentric circles, starting at the edge.
- Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to medium-firm peaks. Pipe rosettes or small kisses around the border or between the berries.
- Dust the berries lightly with powdered sugar just before serving.
Chef’s notes
- Almond cream that domes and then collapses was beaten too much. Mix on low speed just until smooth.
- Do not wash raspberries unless you must. If you do, dry them hollow side down on paper towels for 20 minutes.
- Stop whipping the chantilly while it still looks slightly soft. Piping works it further and overwhipped cream turns grainy.
- The baked almond shell can be made a day ahead. Add fruit and cream on the day of serving.
Pastry cream or almond cream under the berries?
Baked almond cream
Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel, Dominique Ansel, many contemporary Paris pâtisseries
Almond cream is baked into the shell, giving a moist, cake-like layer that keeps the pastry crisp and stands up to juicy fruit for a full day. Its toasted almond flavour is a natural partner for raspberry. This recipe uses this method.
Vanilla pastry cream
Classical French pâtisserie, Ferrandi Paris, Julia Child
A fully baked shell is filled with cold pastry cream and topped with berries. It is cooler, lighter and creamier on the palate, but the shell softens within hours, so the tart must be assembled close to serving.
Drawn from the methods of
- Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel, Bouchon Bakery (2012)
- Ferrandi Paris, French Pâtisserie (2017)
- Dominique Ansel, Everyone Can Bake (2020)
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
