The 25 minute raspberry tart
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In times of stress - I bake. Mostly because in times of stress I want to stuff my face with anything that is sweet and can make me feel better even for a moment. This past week, I have made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, breakfast bars and now this - the 25 minute raspberry tart.
This tart is especially dangerous because it literally only takes 25 minutes from the moment you stand up out of your chair to walk to the kitchen to start making the tart - to the moment you return to that very same chair with the warmed tart, fresh out of the oven, in your hand. Trust me - I timed it!
I don't want to get bogged down in the 'why am I so stressed' conversation, because we are here to talk about tarts, but I feel like a little history is required so you can understand how we ended up here with raspberry jam and frangipane being licked off my fingers at a rate that is surprising even to myself.
For the past month, my bull mastiff Betty has been in a fight for her life. It started off with a breast cancer scare - which turned out to be benign. We thought 'whew, that was a close one' and then a few days later she slipped on the ice and hurt her front elbow. Fast forward 2 weeks and we are still having to carry her outside, she is only able to put the slightest amount of pressure on her leg and the vet is telling us we are approaching the end of the road.
S-T-R-E-S-S.
So I turn in moments like this, to things that give me comfort. My mom used to fill the house with the scent of fresh baked bread, homemade raspberry jam, our deep freeze was always full of cookies she had made and her cinnamon buns to this day still haunt my dreams with their deliciousness.
I knew I was looking for the ultimate 'nostalgic comfort sweet' and what better way to get there than to bake something using raspberry jam - which has always reminded me of home, of my nona's garden and of summer (which we all need a reminder of at the moment).
Please note that below, I say the Double Devon cream is 'optional'. I don't really mean it ;). It absolutely should be included, but let's just assume you don't have a jar in your fridge at all times (not saying that I do), the tart is still delicious on it's own.
The 25 minute raspberry tart (adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver)
Ingredients
12 frozen tart shells
1 egg
1 cup flax meal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 tbsp unsalted butter
Zest of one large orange
English Style Double Devon Cream (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 and get your tart shells out of the freezer and place on a cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, flax seed meal, sugar, butter, orange zest and brandy vanilla extract and stir thoroughly.
Add a small dollop of the egg mixture into the tart shell, layer a small dollop of raspberry jam and repeat one more time.
Place in the oven and cook for 18 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from oven and serve with a little bit of English Style Double Devon Cream.
This post is part of The Canadian Food Experience, it began June 7 2013. As we share our collective stories through our regional food experiences, we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity.
