The great thing about the pastry world is that basic components (think pastry cream, lemon curd, creme anglaise) can be used in so many different ways. I had some leftover lemon curd in the fridge (from making the Pucker Up Lemon Cupcakes), so I decided to use it to make Lemon Raspberry Tartlets. The lemon curd is simply folded into an almost equal amount of whipped cream and used to fill a baked flaky tart crust. Then I topped the filling with fresh raspberries and dusted it off with some confectioners’ sugar. It’s a really quick recipe—assuming you’ve got the lemon curd—and a delightful combination of refreshing flavors. Buy your raspberries from a farmers’ market if possible—they’ll have better flavor.
The lemon curd can be made up to 3 weeks in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Raspberry Lemon Tartlets
Makes 6 tartlets
Flaky Tart Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Lemon Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup lemon curd (for recipe, see Pucker Up Lemon Cupcakes post)
Raspberry Topping:
Two 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Make the crust:
1. In a food processor, combine all-purpose flour, cake flour and salt and pulse until well blended. Scatter the butter cubes on top and pulse 6-10 times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the lemon juice and ice water and process just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape it into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
2. Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a thickness of 1/16th of an inch, flouring lightly as necessary. Cut out rough 5-inch cirlces, and line six 4-inch tartlet rings or pans with the dough. Roll the pin over the top of the rings to remove excess dough. Prick the bottom of the shells with a fork and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut out six 5-inch squares of foil and line each shell with one piece. Fill with pie weights and place on a silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Bake the lined shells for 11 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights from each shell and return to the oven for 6-9 minutes, until the tart shells just begin to turn golden brown in spots. Cool the shells on a wire rack.
Make the filling:
4. Whip the cream to medium peaks. Gently fold in the lemon curd. Fill each tart shell with about 1/4 cup of the filling.
Finish the tartlets:
5. Top the filling with fresh raspberries, arranging them snugly. Lightly dust the tartlets with confectioners' sugar before serving.
