HappyCook80's Recipe

Lemon Mascarphone Brulee Tarts With Raspberry Sauce

Category: Recipes

Tart Shells:
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup pecans
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 whole large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest, from about 1 1/2 lemons
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, not in syrup
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar

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 degrees.
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.

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.
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.
Yields 8 individual tarts.