Mmmmm...

The other day I needed something really nice to make for dessert.
I wanted something light-ish, but still really good... and it had to LOOK good too.

I usually write myself lists of possibilities depending on what pops into my head or what I might find while browsing- my books, from magazines, recipe cards, online archives of magazines, foodnetwork.com, or other blogs.

I found this beautiful tart (I really like to make tarts) at another blog called Tartlette. She's French, a former pastry chef, a food stylist and photographer. All of her photos are gorgeous.

Anyway, it looked really good, so I wanted to try it. The original recipe was for individual 3 inch tarts, but she gave a few tips for a larger tart. The one I made was in a 9 inch tart fluted tart pan with removable bottom (because that's the kind of tart I make folks). I adapted it a bit (things I didn't have: Meyer lemon, honey, etc.), and that is what's written on this blog. The original post is here if you care to check it out.

If you want to use lemon zest for garnish, I would recommend zesting the lemon onto a plate, with the zest well separated, and let it dry a while (1/2 hour) before sprinkling it onto the tarts. That way it won't be so sticky and you can control your sprinkling better.

FYI: pistachios are much cheaper at Trader Joe's (than the regular grocery store)! AND you can find them unsalted.

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Lemon Chantilly
Serves 8

For the shortbread bottoms:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 T corn starch
pinch of salt

For the pistachio frangipane:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (100g) ground pistachios
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the lemon chantilly:
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
zest of one lemon

2 pints fresh raspberries

zest of one lemon for garnish (as desired)

Prepare the tart shells:
In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Add the flours, corn starch and salt and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball, separate in two. Flatten each piece of dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. One may be saved for another tart (in fridge 5 days) or frozen (3 months) for later.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic (it tears easily... just patch it up!). Carefully place the dough in the tart pan and fit it against the sides. Remove excess dough. Place tart shell in freezer 10 minutes. Remove shell from freezer, dock bottom and sides with a fork, and place on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. The tart shell should be set, but fairly pale. If bubbles appear in crust, prick them with a fork. Let cool completely.

Prepare the pistachio frangipane filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle.
Place the butter, sugar, ground pistachios, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir it in carefully by hand instead of whisking it (you do not want to emulsify it or it will rise while baking). Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pour filling into tart shell, bake about 25 minutes, until set. A knife in the center should come out clean. Let cool completely, the tart will continue to set.

Prepare the Chantilly:
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand held) whip the heavy cream together with the sugar and lemon zest to medium stiff peaks.

Assemble the tarts:
Pipe or spoon chantilly on the tart and place raspberries all around.