Cooking & Entertaining > Raspberry Delights

Raspberry Streusel Tart

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, unsalted
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups light cream
1/3 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon framboise or kirschwasser
1 - 11 inch sweet pastry crust, baked
2/3 cup thick currant, apricot or seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon water (up to 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 pints fresh raspberries, washed and dried
2 1/2 tablespoons sifted confectioners sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Slowly melt. Cool until tepid.

3. Combine flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon and salt and add to melted butter. Toss with a fork until crumbs are formed.

4. Take a clump of the crumb mixture in your hand and squeeze gently forming a larger clump. Break larger clump apart.

5. Sprinkle crumbs onto a large shallow pan. Repeat until all the mixture has been made into crumbs. Place crumbs in oven and bake for 15 - 18 minutes until they turn light brown. Set aside to cool and harden.

6. Heat cream in a 2 quart saucepan until just under a boil. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Beat egg yolks in a mixing bowl with a whisk until slightly thickened. Whisk in sugar-cornstarch mixture. Blend in scalded cream. Pour mixture back into saucepan heat slowly. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture begins to thicken and comes to a boil. Be sure to reach into bend of pot to release any custard that may stick.

7. After custard reaches a boil, simmer about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, vanilla and framboise. Cover with a piece of buttered plastic wrap. Cool about 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

8. Spread custard in pastry shell and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. Let stand on a rack for 10 minutes to set.

9. Combine preserves and water in a small saucepan. Heat until mixture comes to a boil Pass through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard pulp.

10. Gently brush top of custard with half of the hot preserves. Sprinkle berries generously over hot custard. Lightly brush tops of berries with remaining preserves. Sprinkle tart generously with streusel, pressing the crumbs gently into the berries so they will stick. Chill tart, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Just before serving, sift confectioners' sugar on top.

Note: Cover any leftover tart (if any) lightly with an aluminum foil tent. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Framboise is a raspberry-flavored liqueur. Kirschwasser is a cherry-flavored liqueur.

Makes 1 - 11 inch tart