The perfect good weather dessert: tarte aux framboises

The perfect filling for an afternoon tea pastry. You can easily use this recipe to make tartlets, which would take centre stage on any cake stand. Fresh raspberries and vanilla pastry cream!

Tarte aux Framboises

Takes 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
500g pack shortcrust pastry
2 tbsp icing sugar
270ml whole milk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
3 egg yolks
120ml double (heavy) cream
450g fresh raspberries
4 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
1 lemon

Method
Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick, sprinkling with icing sugar as you go, and use it to line a 23cm square fluted loose-bottom tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the milk and vanilla bean paste in a medium saucepan over a low heat for a few minutes until steaming. Remove from the heat and leave the milk to sit for a couple of minutes.

Place the caster sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and whisk well. One at a time, whisk 5 tbsp warm milk into the bowl, then slowly pour the remaining milk in, whisking continuously.

Quickly clean out the pan and return to the hob. Pour in the egg mixture and whisk over a low heat for about 5 minutes until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and leave to cool with a piece of greaseproof paper on top to stop a skin forming as it cools.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Once the pastry case has chilled, remove it from the fridge, place on a baking sheet and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.

In a bowl, whisk the cream into soft peaks then gently fold through the custard. Spoon the creamy custard over the base of the cooled tart case and arrange the raspberries over the top.

Place the raspberry jam and a good squeeze of lemon juice in a small microwaveable bowl and microwave on a low heat until spreadable. Alternatively, if you don’t have a microwave, heat in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add a little more lemon juice if needed. Drizzle the jam over the tart and serve immediately.

Extracted from Posh Tarts (Quadrille, approx €15). Photography © Faith Mason.