Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts

Ingredients

Ingredient notes & substitutions

Egg yolks:

Four yolks give the cream its richness and colour. Save the whites - they freeze well, and they are what the Raspberry Cream Puffs need.

Cornstarch:

The setting agent. It has to reach a full boil to work, which is why the recipe insists on a minute of bubbling.

Lemon zest:

A small amount, but it cuts the richness of the custard and keeps it from tasting flat. Grate it finely so it disappears into the cream.

Puff pastry:

Thaw it fully before unfolding or it cracks along the folds. If it softens while you work, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Fresh raspberries:

Fresh, never frozen. Frozen berries weep as they thaw and the pastry underneath will not crisp.

Method

1. 1

   Make the pastry cream first - it has to be completely cold before it goes near the pastry. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl until thick and pale.

2. 2

   Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is steaming and just beginning to bubble at the edges, but not boiling.

3. 3

   Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a slow, thin stream, whisking constantly the whole time. Adding it all at once will scramble the yolks - the point of going slowly is to raise their temperature gradually.

4. 4

   Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and whisk without stopping until it thickens and starts to bubble. Keep whisking and cook one full minute past the first bubble: cornstarch needs to actually boil both to set properly and to lose its raw, chalky taste.

5. 5

   Take it off the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth and glossy.

6. 6

   Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream - touching it, not stretched over the bowl - and refrigerate at least 2 hours until completely cold. Contact with the plastic is what stops a skin forming.

7. 7

   Heat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Unfold the thawed pastry and cut it into 6 even rectangles.

8. 8

   Score a smaller rectangle about 1/4 inch inside the edge of each piece, cutting only halfway through the pastry, not all the way. Prick the inner rectangle all over with a fork. The score line lets the border rise while the pricked centre stays flat to hold the filling.

9. 9

   Spread about a tablespoon of the cold pastry cream inside each scored rectangle, keeping it off the border.

10. 10

    Press the raspberries into the cream, pointed side up, three or four per tart.

    
11. 11

    Brush the borders with beaten egg, keeping it off the cream so it does not streak, and space the tarts well apart on the sheet so they do not touch as they puff.

12. 12

    Bake 15-17 minutes, until the borders are deep golden and well risen.

    
13. 13

    Cool completely on a wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar. Dusting a warm tart just melts the sugar into a damp film.

    
14. 14

    Bon appetit

    

Variations to try

• Swap the raspberries for sliced strawberries, blueberries or a mix of berries.
• Fold whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream for a lighter, mousse-like filling - bake the pastry empty first and fill afterwards.
• Add a thin layer of raspberry jam under the cream for a stronger fruit note.
• Infuse the milk with a strip of orange peel instead of using lemon zest.
• Brush the baked tarts with warmed apricot jam for a glossy patisserie finish instead of dusting.

Storage & make-ahead

Best eaten the day they are baked, while the pastry is still crisp. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, though the base softens. The pastry cream on its own keeps 3 days refrigerated with plastic wrap pressed to the surface. Do not freeze the assembled tarts - the custard splits and the pastry goes soggy. Unbaked pastry rectangles can be cut and frozen flat for up to a month.

Frequently asked questions

My pastry cream is lumpy. Can I save it?

Yes - push it through a fine sieve while it is still warm. Lumps mean the milk went in too fast or the whisking stopped, but sieving fixes it completely.

Can I make the pastry cream ahead?

Yes, and you should. It keeps 3 days in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. Whisk it smooth before using - it stiffens as it chills.

Why did my borders not rise?

Either the score line was cut all the way through, or the pastry was too warm when it went into the oven. Score halfway, and chill the assembled tarts for 10 minutes if the kitchen is warm.

Can I use other fruit?

Any berry works, as do thinly sliced peaches or apricots. Avoid very wet fruit like watermelon or fresh pineapple.

How far ahead can I assemble them?

Bake and serve the same day. Assembled unbaked tarts can wait about 30 minutes in the fridge, but beyond that the cream starts softening the pastry.