Raspberry custard tarts with creme patissiere

These raspberry custard tarts are quite possibly the tastiest dessert recipe I’ve posted to date. Fresh juicy raspberries, nestled in a bed of dreamy creme patissiere, in a chocolate-lined pastry case are perfect for spoiling your loved ones on Valentine’s Day (or any other day really).

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The perfect dessert

Whether you’re planning a romantic dinner-for-two, or just want to spoil the family, these little raspberry custard tarts make the perfect dessert. Just take a mouthful of the sweet juicy raspberries and the creamiest creme patissiere (sometimes called pastry cream) and you’ll see what I mean. These really are heaven-on-a-plate.

What I like about them is the fact that they are so simple to make. You could even by-pass all the steps for making them from scratch, and buy some little flan cases, fill them with store-bought custard, top with fresh raspberries and be done with it!

However, if you are like me and prefer making things from scratch I’ve got all the steps listed below so you can make them from scratch yourself.

I’ve made my custard tarts in a 4-hole baking pan which makes 4″ diameter tarts. You could use a 12-hole pan if you prefer smaller tarts. If you would like to make a larger tart that you can cut into slices, by all means use 2 x 9″ flan tins.

What will I need?

See the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient measurements.

• You will need a punnet of fresh raspberries for topping the tarts. You could use any other berries of your choice instead.
• Milk chocolate to brush the inside of the pastry cases before filling with creme patissiers.
• Icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) – to dust over the tarts

Pastry

To make the pastry, you will need:

• All purpose or cake flour – not self-raising flour. Self-raising flour will cause the pastry to rise and we don’t want that.
• Butter – you can get away with using margarine, but butter does give a better flavour.
• Egg yolks – you can use the whites to make one-minute microwave meringues in this Eton Mess recipe.

Creme Patisserie

For the creme patisserie you will need:

• Egg yolks – you may like to try making these coconut jam tarts with the egg whites.
• Sugar – granulated is fine, or you could use castor sugar.
• Flour and cornflour (cornstarch) – used for thickening the custard.
• Milk – full fat preferred, but you could use semi-skimmed.
• Vanilla extract or essence – for additional flavour.
• Double cream – make sure to use double cream (or heavy whipping cream). Single or pouring cream will not whip to stiff peaks.

How to make raspberry custard tarts

There are four easy steps:

• Make the pastry and put it aside to rest
• Make the creme patissiere and allow to cool
• Prepare the pastry cases and bake
• Assemble the tarts

Make the pastry cases

The first step is to make the pastry. This will take about 10 minutes to mix.

• Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, cut the butter into cubes and add (image 1 above).
• Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until all the flour has been coated with butter and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (image 2 above). When rubbing in, lift the butter and flour above the bowl and allow it to fall back. This helps aerate the mixture.
• Add the egg yolk and water (image 3 above).
• Use a flat knife to cut the eggs and water through the flour mixture until it starts to come together (image 4 above). Start with 4 tablespoons of water and if you need more add an extra tablespoon.
• Now use your hands to gently press the pastry together into a flat disk (image 5 above). Do not knead. Use just enough pressure to make the dough come together.
• Place the pastry into a plastic bag, or cover with clingfilm (image 6 above), and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least half an hour. You can prepare the creme patissiere while the pastry is resting.

Make the creme patissiere

While the pastry is resting you can make the creme patissiere

Beat the egg yolks until they are pale yellow and frothy (image 1 above), then whisk in the flour and cornflour/cornstarch (image 2 above). The mixture will be quite thick.

Bring the milk, sugar and vanilla extract to a boil and pour a quarter of the hot milk into the egg and flour mixture (image 3 above). Whisk well to remove any lumps, then pour the egg back into the remaining milk. Keep whisking over a low heat until the mixture thickens. It should be very thick and hold its shape (see image 4 above).

Whip the cream until it forms thick peaks (image 1 above) , then mix the whipped cream into the cooled custard until well combined (image 4 above).

Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare and bake the pastry cases.

Prepare the pastry cases

The pastry cases are baked in the oven before being filled with the pastry cream.

I used a large 4-hole baking pan which makes tarts about 4″ in diameter. You can use a smaller 12-hole pan if you prefer, or even 2 x 9″ pastry shells. Grease the holes in the baking-pan with a little sunflower oil or butter to prevent the pastry from sticking.

• Roll the pastry out to approximately 1/8″ thickness and cut rounds to fit your baking-pan. If you are using a 12-hole baking pan, a normal biscuit cutter should be large enough, or you could use the rim of a drinking glass, or even a coffee cup to cut the pastry to size.
• If you are using 9″ baking pans, just divide the pastry in half and roll each half out to size, to fit the pan.
• Line the baking-pan with the pastry and prick the base with a fork to prevent the pastry from rising.
• Bake in a hot oven (200C/400F) for 10 minutes until the pastry starts to turn brown and is cooked through.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Assemble the tarts

• Break the milk chocolate into pieces and place in the microwave for 30 seconds on full power. Stir, and if there are still lumps in the chocolate microwave for another 30 seconds.
• Brush the base of the pastry cases with a thin layer of melted chocolate.
• Fill the pastry cases with creme patissiere, and arrange a few raspberries on top.
• Dust with icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar) and leave in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

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Make in advance

You can bake the pastry shells, cool and spread with melted chocolate, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

You can also make the creme patissiere and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

When you are ready to eat them, just fill the pastry shells with the creme patissiere, top with raspberries and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Freezing

The creme patissiere is not suitable for freezing as it may split when defrosted.

The pastry shells can be frozen in a rigid container for up to 6 months. Don’t store them in a plastic bag in the freezer as they may get crushed and broken.

If you enjoyed these raspberry custard tarts, you may enjoy these other creamy desserts:

• Puff pastry custard slices with creme patissiere
• Key lime pie with a creamy meringue topping
• Fresh pear cream slice
• German bee sting cake
• No-bake pineapple icebox cake

Raspberry custard tarts recipe

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