Greatest Recipes Ever: Raspberry tart

‘You make this pastry as you would any short-crust, remembering the golden rules of keeping the butter fridge-cold and handling the pastry itself as little as possible. Once you've got the hang of it, homemade pastry is simple to make and utterly delicious-almost better than the filling, I think. I whizz up pastry in the Magimix. It takes an instant, and then you can chill it as you get on with the rest of the recipe. Of course, you can always buy pastry, but you wouldn't really be doing justice to those magic raspberries.This year, we've had a grand total of 16 in the garden. Perhaps I'll boost their numbers with a trip to the market so I can get baking...'

Thomasina Miers

Classic raspberry tart

Extract from Michel Roux Jr's Matching Food and Wine Published in 2005 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson Serves 8

When raspberries are in season and bursting with sweetness and flavour, there is no other fruit to equal them. This particular tart reminds me of my apprenticeship as a pastry chef. We would make these tarts for only eight weeks of the year.

Ingredients

125g caster sugar 1tbsp raspberry alcohol (40% proof) 600g sweet pastry (made with 180g butter, 375g flour, 90g sugar, 2 egg yolks and 1tbsp double cream) 750g large, plump raspberries

Icing sugar

Almond cream 100g butter, softened 100g icing sugar 100g ground almonds 2 eggs

Coulis

300g raspberries 60-80g icing sugar

Method

Make a syrup by mixing the sugar with 125ml of water. Bring to the boil, then set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F/gas 6. Roll out the sweet pastry on a floured surface to 2-3mm thickness and line a lightly buttered 24cm tart ring (or 8 individual 8cm rings) set on a baking sheet. Spoon in the almond cream until the tart is two-thirds full, then bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Leave to cool, then remove the tart ring. Brush the tart with the flavoured syrup. Neatly arrange the raspberries on the tart and dust with icing sugar. Do not refrigerate. Serve with double cream and raspberry coulis.

Almond cream

Beat the butter, then add the sugar and ground almonds. Continue to beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, then add the eggs one at a time.

Coulis

Blitz the raspberries and sugar together-the amount of sugar depends on the ripeness of the fruit, so taste before adding the full amount. Add a few drops of water if too thick.

Wines

The classic combination of Sauternes and perfectly ripe raspberries will make you go ahhh. Alternatively, try an old Jurancon Moelleux or a Beeren-auslese to complement one of my all-time favourite desserts.

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