Vanilla Custard Tart with Fresh Raspberries

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 I needed to use up some egg yolks that I had in the fridge (from when I made Samantha's Pancakes and my Pears Belle Helen Cake). So, I came up with this Vanilla Custard Tart with Raspberries. The custard is a variation of my coconut cream pie filling, and the crust is from Paula Deen's Fresh Fruit Tart (I just added salt). It all came together famously. It was so yummy that after my first piece I took the rest with me to my PTO board meeting, so that I could share. I had one more piece at the meeting and another when I got home. Thank goodness there wasn't anymore left over, or I would have eaten that too. :)

   Needless to say, this is an amazing tart. The crust is crisp and buttery, the custard is smooth and creamy and the raspberries add just the right amount of tartness. Delicious! (I hear Rachael Ray saying this in her high-pitched voice).

OK, let's get started.

Custard first:  I put 1/3 cup cornstarch into a medium pot and added 3/4 cups sugar. 

1/4 tsp salt

And whisked it all together, so there were no cornstarch lumps.

Then I added the liquids: cream and milk,

and 6 egg yolks.

I turned the heat to medium and whisked like mad. It takes a little while to come together (I didn't time it, but I'm guessing around 10 minutes). If you stop whisking, the eggs will cook too fast, and you will have more to strain out later. If you have the time and patience, it's best to whisk continuously. You don't have to use a silicone whisk, but I use one so that I don't scratch my non-stick pans. Genius.

When the custard is thick, turn off the heat and add some vanilla.

This next step is probably optional, but I always strain my custards and puddings just to make sure I don't have any lumps or scrambled eggs in there. I just put a sifter over a bowl . . .

and use a spatula to press the custard through the sifter.

I did really well today. Only a couple lumps/egg left behind.

Remember to get all the custard off the bottom of the sifter. :)

Now just press some plastic wrap right down on top of the custard, so no air can get to it. This will prevent a film from forming on the top.

Now it goes into the fridge until completely cool.

It's time for the crust. It comes together in a couple minutes in the food processor. Flour, powdered sugar, salt and butter into the work bowl, and blend until it comes together.

Like this:

Then it gets pressed into a tart pan. (Paula Deen used a 10 inch pan, mine is 11.) Use either a silicone pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom. This will make for easier removal later.

Press the dough evenly over the pan and up the sides. (I only went 1/2 way up my sides - after baking, I decided that I should have gone all the way up the sides.)

It gets baked @ 350F for 10-12 minutes, until light golden brown.

Like this. (Mine actually might be a little too dark, but no one will know. I'm covering it with custard anyway.)

Once the crust and the custard are both cool, the crust comes out of the pan and the custard gets spread on all over the top.

Then the raspberries go on top, in a pretty pattern of course.

Like this.

Now, just serve and eat!

Here's the recipe:

Vanilla Custard Tart with Raspberries

Custard Filling:

1/3 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups cream

1 3/4 cups milk

6 egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

12 oz raspberries, washed and dried (for topping the tart)

In a medium pot, combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt until there are no lumps. Add the cream, milk and egg yolks, whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Turn off heat and stir in the vanilla. Push custard through a sifter to get out any lumps. Cool completely in the refrigerator, with plastic wrap placed directly on top of the custard.

Crust:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and sliced

1/8 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until the dough comes together into a ball. Dump out into a 10 or 11 inch tart pan (either silicone or metal with a removable bottom). Bake @ 350F for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely and remove from pan before filling.

When both the custard and crust are cooled. Remove the crust from the pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Spread custard in an even layer over the crust. Top the tart with 12 oz of washed and dried raspberries.