Early Summer Raspberry Tart...

I spent the day weeding.  Spurge has crept into the corn rows and exploded into a mass green carpet of weedyness (is that a word?) overnight.  The heat helps the spurge to grow, and it's hot, dang hot!  This is our 34th day without precipitation, and you can feel the dryness creeping in.  The entire Mountain West is on fire and the news headlines are all about smoke and flames.  You can hardly find anything else to talk about, think about, dream about.  I have taken to praying, dancing, chanting, and meditating for rain.  So far, my efforts have been overlooked by that higher power that decides if I have made enough of a fool of myself to send the relief of rain.  I must be amusing to watch, that's why no rain... I am the entertainment!!!

With the heat and the smoke, I decided to whip up a cool and refreshing little tart tonight.  This is honestly as easy as it gets.  Five ingredients, a quick (and I mean quick) bake in the oven, top it with whipped cream and berries, drizzle a little honey and wham!  You've got something that will lift your spirits and cool you down.  This would be fantastic for the Fourth, just use a mix of raspberries and blueberries and you can dazzle a few lucky people with a red, white, and blue slice of heaven!

This serves 6 people generously, you could stretch it to 8 smaller pieces.  This is also pretty kid friendly, my little farmhands gobbled it up while smacking their lips and making all kinds of yummy noises.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!  

RASPBERRY AND CREAM TART

backyard farmgals

1 sheet puff pasty

1 egg yolk

8 ounces whipping cream

2 baskets raspberries (local if you can)

honey, warmed to drizzle

Thaw puff pastry sheet as directed on package.  Preheat oven to 400ºF.  On a parchment lined cookie sheet, lay out puff pastry.  Score (do not cut all the way through the pastry) the edges of the pastry about 1-inch from the edge.  Prick the center of the pastry with a fork, do not prick the edges that you scored.  

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 1/2 tsp of water and beat with a fork.  With a pastry brush, brush the scored edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash.  Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.  

Beat the cream until soft peaks form, set aside.  When pastry is cooled, you may have to run a knife over where you scored the pastry prior to baking.  Then, gently push the center of the pastry down, leaving the edges tall and the center sunken.  Fill the center with cream, top the cream with berries.  Drizzle the warm honey over the tart.  Slice and serve.