Recipe: Scottish Raspberry Tarts

 

With autumn just around the corner (yay!) it is time to bring out the recipe book and make some of our favourite treats to enjoy on those darker evenings. Cake and a cuppa, all cosy on the sofa, watching your favourite movie or show. Bliss. So here is my recipe for homemade Scottish raspberry tarts

Ingredients

For the Pastry

• 175 g Butter
• 65 g caster sugar
• 250 g plain flour

If you don't want to make the pastry yourself, you can buy ready made pastry from the supermarket.

For the Jam

• 435 g Tinned raspberries
• 250 g caster sugar

For the Cream Filling

• 300 ml Double Cream
• 3 tbsp Icing sugar

For the Pink Icing

• 300 g Icing sugar
• 3-4 tbsp Water
• Pink Food Colouring

Instructions

For the Pastry

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and mix to create a soft dough, using your hands to bring it together if necessary. Gently knead the dough on a clean surface to ensure it is completely combined, before wrapping the dough in cling film and placing in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a little.

  This would be a good time to prepare the raspberry filling.
• Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan assisted ovens or Gas Mark 4). After 30 minutes, remove your dough from the fridge. Grease a cupcake or muffin tray with a little butter and set aside.
• Roll your dough to about 5mm thick and using a round cutter which is a little bigger than the cups on your tray, cut 8 circles. Transfer each circle to your pre-greased tray, carefully ensuring no air is caught underneath each and press the bottom and edges into place.
• Prick a few holes into the bottom of each pastry cup, before lining them and filling with some baking beans (I used lentils. Bake for about 15 minutes, remove the baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the pastry cases are golden in colour. Allow to cool a little before adding the fillings.

Raspberry filling

• Add the tinned raspberries to a pan.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to boil for 20-30 minutes, watch closely and stir often. After which time it will still be slightly syrupy.
• Transfer the jam to a sterilised jar or you can allow it to cool for a while before moving to a saleable plastic container
• Allow to cool completely before using. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of jam into each pastry casing.

Cream Filling

• In a large bowl, whisk the cream and icing sugar.
• Transfer the cream to a piping bag with a large circular opening and pipe about a small ball amount of cream onto the top of each jam-filled pastry casing. I spooned the cream on as I couldn't find my piping bag! which I found after I was finished.. Place into the fridge whilst you prepare the icing.

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Pink Icing

• In a bowl, mix the icing sugar with the water, adding a little at a time. You want a just pour-able consistency. Add the pink food colouring to create the right consistency.
• Starting with just a teaspoon, pour a little icing on top of the cream. You can then add more as needed.
• Allow the icing to set before serving.

There you have it, tasty raspberry tarts for everyone to enjoy!