Raspberry Custard Tart with Chocolate Ganache

 

I am so excited to tell you about this tart because it's very delicious. The pictures of it are, well, for lack of a better word, terrible. I took them on my camera phone before eagerly devouring this. What can I say? I am the epitome of class.

This tart began with one simple idea: fresh raspberries. My good friend Rachel came down to San Diego to visit for a few days and we were put in charge of dessert. When we discovered we had fresh raspberries at our disposal, it was pretty much a no brainer. We began thinking of raspberry desserts -- raspberry cobbler, raspberry ice cream cake, raspberry tuiles --  but nothing struck our interest like the idea of this raspberry tart.

 

Inspired by a raspberry tart online, we set to work. We needed a tart shell, vanilla custard filling, and chocolate ganache to go in between them. What followed was a hodgepodge of recipes and creativity that left us with a beautiful, elegant, and delectable tart. It wasn't too sweet, it wasn't too chocolaty, the crust was buttery and flaky, the custard was creamy, and of course, the fresh raspberries shined through like delicious little gems. According to my 13 year old sister who eats only cheeseburgers and foods covered in ketchup, this tart was, "The best thing ever!!" That's really saying something.

See the thin layer of chocolate between the crust and the custard? That's the good stuff!

I'll give you the recipes we used for each part of the tart then tell you how put it all together in a flash. It really is a breeze to make but eating it you'll feel as fancy as can be.

Raspberry Custard Tart with Chocolate Ganache

1 tart shell, cooled (recipe follows)

1 batch vanilla custard filling (recipe follows)

2 oz unsweetened bar chocolate*

A tablespoon of cream or half and half

A tablespoon or so of sugar (to taste)

Fresh raspberries

Powdered sugar, for serving

Tart Shell

I followed this recipe and technique by Smitten Kitchen. It worked beautifully and the shell turned out buttery and flaky.

Vanilla Custard Filling

Rachel was in charge of this part and she used her tried an true pastry cream filling from All Recipes. It turned out lovely with a strong kick of vanilla.

Method

To make ganache: In a double boiler, slowly melt chocolate and cream. Add sugar to taste.

Spread the hot melted chocolate on the tart shell in a thin layer, using just enough chocolate to coat the bottom of the shell. Pour in cool pastry cream. Decoratively place raspberries around the edge of the tart. Use as many raspberries as you like. Place tart in the refrigerator and allow the filling to set slightly, about an hour (or if you're impatient like me, just eat it straight away). Dust powdered sugar over the raspberries just before serving and enjoy.

*We wanted to go for really dark chocolate, so we started with unsweetened chocolate and slowly added sugar. Feel free to adapt the type of chocolate to your taste -- I'm sure chocolate chips would do just fine (if you omit the extra sugar).