Mother’s Day: Raspberry & Rose Curd Tarts

Pretty in pink, these stunning raspberries and rose curd tarts are well worth the extra effort. Making the curd and pastry in advance in fact makes the cooking process quick and simple, allowing you time to decorate with precision.

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Main ingredient: Fruit

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 200g plain flour
• 100g salted butter, cubed
• 40g icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water

For the Raspberry Curd:

• 300g fresh raspberries
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, juice & zest
• 1 tsp rose water
• 30g corn flour
• 2 eggs, separated
• 75g butter

For the meringue:

• Reserved egg whites
• 100g sugar

To decorate:

• 50g fresh raspberries
• 1 tbsp pistachios
• Fresh mint leaves

You will need:

• Large cookie cutter
• Baking beans
• Parchment paper
• Blow torch

Method of preparation:

1. First, make the pastry. In a food processor combine the flour, butter, and icing sugar and pulse to form fine breadcrumbs. Crack in the egg and blitz again just until the pastry starts to come together. If the pastry is still a little crumbly, add a little water.
2. Remove the pastry from the food processor onto a floured surface and knead together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge until required.
3. In the meantime, make the raspberry curd. Place the raspberries in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pass the raspberry puree through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
4. Pour the raspberry puree into a saucepan over low to medium heat. Add the sugar, lemon zest and juice, rose water and cornflour. Whisk over medium heat until thick and bubbling which will take approximately 5 - 6 minutes.
5. When the puree is thick, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. Add 2 egg yolks (reserving the whites for the meringue later) and whisk in the butter. When well combined, return to the hob and whisk gently over low heat for 2 - 3 minutes until you reach ribbon thickness.
6. Remove the curd from the heat and allow it to cool and thicken further.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
8. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Roll out the pastry to 1cm thickness and using a large cookie cutter (1 or 2 cm larger than the tart tin), cut out 6 circles of pastry. After greasing with a little butter, gently press the pastry circles into the tart holes, carefully cutting away any excess pastry.
9. Prick the base on the pastry cases and return to the fridge for a further 10 minutes - chilling your pastry again will help against shrinkage.
10. Once cooled, line each tart case with a little parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice, dried beans, or pulses. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
11. Remove the cases from the oven, and carefully pour in the cooled curd and return to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
12. In the meantime, make the meringue. Place the reserved egg whites in a meticulously clean bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Add the sugar slowly, one spoon at a time, whisking until fully incorporated before adding the next. Repeat until all the sugar is combined and a thick glossy meringue is formed.
13. Remove the tarts from the oven and allow to fully cool and set. When cooled, pipe on the meringue decoratively before lightly toasting using a blow torch.
14. Finally finish with fresh raspberries, pistachios, and mint leaves.

Tips:

• Make sure to reserve the egg whites when making the raspberry curd - these can be used to make the meringue for decoration.
• When making the curd, what is ‘ribbon thickness’? To ensure the curd is thick enough to set, you must ensure you reach the ribbon stage of thickness. This is when the curd easily slips off the back of a spoon into the pan but leaves a ribbon trail on the surface of the curd. Leave to fully cool and it will thicken further.

Mom is mom every day, therefore, deserves affection all year round, however, take advantage of this day to pamper yours! Surprise her!
Happy Mother’s Day!