A raspberry tart baked in a rectangular pan.
Photo and recipe courtesy BettyCrocker.com.

It’s really easy to make a basic fruit tart with just a pastry shell, the fruit and currant jelly for glazing.

More complex recipes have a filling of cheese, custard or pastry cream. This recipe from Betty Crocker uses cream cheese—and doesn’t require a special tart pan.

It takes just 20 minutes to prepare. It takes a shortcut, using a cookie mix for the crust; but you can make a classic, buttery pâte brisée (short pastry) just as easily with the instructions below.

EASY RASPBERRY TART RECIPE

Ingredients For The Crust

 
Preparation
 
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. CUT butter into cookie mix in large bowl, using a pastry dough blender or fork. until crumbly; stir in almonds. Press dough in bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up the sides.

3. BAKE 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile…

4. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in small bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled cookie crust. Top with raspberries.

5. COMBINE jelly and honey in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 20 to 30 seconds or until thin enough to glaze. Brush glaze over berries.

6. REFRIGERATE 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining tarts. Makes 24 servings.

Pâte brisée (pot bree-ZAY), or short crust,* is a buttery tart crust with a crumbly texture. It is used for sweet and savory pies, tarts and quiches. It can be made several days in advance and kept in the fridge, or frozen for a month.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PULSE the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse 15 seconds, until the ingredients resembles coarse meal.

2. ADD 1/4 cup ice water through the feed tube in a slow stream, until the dough just holds together when pinched (add remaining water as needed). Do not process more for than 30 seconds.

3. PLACE the dough on a work surface and gather it into a ball; divide ball into two equal pieces, flatten into a disk and tightly wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

4. PRESS into tart pan, refrigerate or freeze for later use. Defrost in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

5. BAKE. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour before adding fruit.
____________________
*Brisée actually is a participle of the French verb briser, which means to break, shatter or smash. We don’t know the origin, but inspired by the store of ganache, we like to think cookware was broken by whomever created the recipe.