Raspberry Curd Tartlets

This was another recipe I made for the family reunion over the Labor Day weekend.  I kept the salad pretty easy so I could focus on these tartlets.  I am a huge fan of lemon curd, my Grandma makes the best lemon curd I’ve ever had, so when I came across this recipe for Raspberry Curd I knew I just had to give it a try.  I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and from then on I was looking for an excuse to make it and the family reunion was a perfect excuse. 

This recipe was fairly easy, I think the thing that gave me the most problems was the seeding of the raspberries.  I followed the directions and tried to seed them after the puree and the mixture wasn’t thin enough to actually run through or be pressed through my strainer; so after getting a little frustrated with it I went ahead and melted the butter and mixed the puree and butter together and then tried to seed it again and that worked so much better. 

I started these fairly late in the evening, my own fault, but time was really an issue since I knew I had to wake up early the next day.  I feel had I had more time I would have been able to work with the pastry mixture a little more and actually make the sides pretty and neat.  It really bothered me leaving the sides/tops undone because I’m such a perfection and want everything to look pretty, but it was either have pretty pastries and no sanity or still have my sanity…I chose sanity!  When I do try these again I’ll re-post my picture and hopefully it will look a lot better than these.

The combination of the tart crust, which tasted like a butter cookie with almonds, and the raspberry curd was absolutely awesome.  The tarts were light and flaky and then the raspberries came in with a burst of flavor.  These were so good and a big hit at the reunion!

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup butter, softened

1/2 Cup confectioners’ sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Cups all-purpose flour

Dash salt

1/2 Cup finely chopped almonds

Raspberry Curd:

1 Package (10 ounces) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 Cup butter

3 Tablespoons sugar

4 Eggs

Red liquid food coloring, optional

Whipped cream, fresh raspberries and mint

Directions:

Tartlets:

In a large bow, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat until smooth.  Stir in almonds.

Press into 2 1/2  inch tartlet pans, trim edges.  Place pans on a baking sheet.  Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Remove from pans.

Raspberry Curd:

Combine raspberries and lemon juice in a blender or food processor; cover and process until pureed.  Press through a strainer to remove seeds.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low; add the raspberry puree, sugar and eggs.  Cook and stir for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is smooth and thickened and reaches 160 degrees.  Remove from the heat.  Add food coloring, if desired.  Press plastic wrap on surface of curd.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of curd into each tart shell; top with whipped cream, raspberries and mint.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 

Courtsey of Taste of Home Cookbook