Easy raspberry tart

Raspberry picking. Yes it’s that time of year. Once you’ve had your fill of popping fresh raspberries by the handful, try this easy tart (and yes, I snuck in some blackberries and blueberries too).

You’ll need a tart pan for this recipe—a pie plate just won’t do. You could try using a 9-inch springform pan in a pinch, but once you’ve tried making tarts, my guess is you’ll want to have one on hand anyway. Tart pans aren’t expensive and you can find them at any large home goods store.

You pre-bake the piecrust to keep it from getting soggy once you add the berries. To pre-bake, the oven will need to be at a higher temperature and you’ll also want to add some weight on top of the crust so it doesn’t get air bubbles in the dough. Simply place some heavy-duty aluminum foil on top, along with either uncooked rice or beans and you’re set. (Once you’re done cooking, carefully remove the aluminum foil and pour the beans or rice back into its container once they’ve cooled. You can still use them.)

The berries are the easiest part of the tart: Wash and dry the berries, then mix in cornstarch, sugar, and lemon. I like my tarts, well, tart, so I don’t add in as much sugar as most recipes call for. If you want to increase the sweetness go ahead and double the sugar.

No fresh berries? Don’t worry, this recipe works well with frozen berries too (or do half and half). Thaw the frozen berries and follow the recipe according to the directions.

Raspberry Tart

Tweaked from How to Cook Everything (Wiley, 1998)

Prep time: 15 minutes + baking

Servings: about 8

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust (Trader’s Joes is my fave)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

zest from one lemon

3 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Directions

1. Lightly coat a tart pan with cooking spray. Lay the dough onto the pan and then press into the edges and up the sides. Trim any excess.
2. Prick the dough with a fork and then place a piece of aluminum foil on top and weight it with either rice or beans.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Once heated, cook the crust for about 15 minutes of until barely golden.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl stir together sugar and cornstarch. Toss in the raspberries (reserve ¼ cup) and lemon juice and zest.
5. Mix the berries into the cornstarch/sugar combination. Press the berries with a fork so that some break apart.
6. Pour the berries into the cooked tart crust. Add the reserved berries on top.
7. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook the tart for another 20-30 minutes, or until the berries’ juices are bubbling.