Lemon Mascarpone Brûlée Tarts With Raspberry Sauce Recipes

LEMON RASPBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• For the curd: Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest for garnish, then stir the lemon juice and remaining zest into the sugar-egg mixture. Put the bowl over a double boiler and cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Scrape into a clean bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• For the raspberry sauce: Reserve 12 raspberries for garnish and put the rest into a small pan. Add the sugar and cook over medium-low heat, breaking up the raspberries to release their juices. Do not let boil. Strain the juice into a bowl and let cool; discard the solids.
• For the tarts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the phyllo shells on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the shells to a rack to cool.
• To assemble the tarts: Spoon a small amount of the raspberry sauce into each tart shell. Whisk the cream with a spoonful or 2 of the raspberry sauce and a splash of vanilla. Fill each shell with the lemon curd and then top with a dollop of whipped cream and a whole raspberry. Sprinkle with some of the reserved lemon zest and add a mint leaf.

LEMON MASCARPONE BRûLéE TARTS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make shells:
• Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor combine flour, pecans, sugar, and salt and pulse until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until a dough just forms. Form dough into a flattened disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Press dough (about 1/3 cup for each shell) onto bottoms and up sides of eight 4 1/2-inch fluted tart pans with removable rims. Prick bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Freeze shells 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Arrange shells in a shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven 18 minutes, or until golden. Cool shells in pans on a rack. Shells may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• Make filling:
• In a heavy saucepan combine butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and remove pan from heat. In a bowl whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until thick and pale. Add hot butter mixture in a stream, whisking constantly, and transfer to pan. Cook mixture over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thick and just beginning to boil. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl and stir in zest. Cool lemon mixture completely, its surface covered with buttered wax paper, and chill at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
• In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together mascarpone and cream until thick and smooth. Fold in 1 1/2 cups lemon mixture, reserving remainder for another use, until combined well.
• Divide filling among shells, smoothing tops. Chill tarts, loosely covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Make sauce:
• In a blender puree sauce ingredients and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids.
• Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon superfine sugar evenly over each tart and caramelize with a blowtorch, moving flame evenly back and forth over sugar (not crust) until melted and caramelized, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, caramelize sugar under a preheated broiler. If using broiler, cover crusts with pieces of foil to prevent burning.)
• Serve tarts with raspberry sauce.