Raspberry Tarts (VIDEO)

Prep: Preheat oven to 430F with the rack centered. Prepare a large baking sheet and set aside.

Roll the puff pastry sheet:

Thaw the pastry sheets until you're able to unfold them. Brush any flour off the sheets.

Place one puff pastry sheet on top of the other and gently roll to 11"x12" on a gently floured surface. To make the next step easier, freeze this rolled sheet for 20-30 minutes or until the dough is very firm.

Cut out circles:

Using a 2 ½ round or scalloped cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible, about 20, while the dough is partially frozen. 

Then, press a smaller cookie cutter (1 ¾ inches round) in the center of each cutout, but not going all the way through the dough; this will create a tart shape once baked.

Dock the center part of the circle with a fork three times.

Discard the remaining pieces of dough. 

Tip: to make the tarts square, use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into equal squares. Then, using a sharp knife, score the inside of the dough to create another smaller square without going all the way through the dough to make a 3/4" inch border within each square.

Eggwash: Whisk the egg with a small pinch of salt in a small bowl, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of turbinado sugar to another bowl, and set aside.

Brush the top of each puff pastry circle with the whisked egg yolk, barely making it wet to help the sugar stick. Do not allow the egg to run off the puff pastry; it will burn as it bakes.

Press the wet top into the sugar and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the puff pastry circles, spacing them evenly.

Bake the puff pastry tarts for 18 minutes or until they have a deep golden color and are well puffed up. Under-baking the tarts will make them taste soggy instead of crispy, so do not be afraid to bake them until a deep golden color is achieved.

Remove from the oven, and press the center of the tart down using a small teaspoon to create a well while leaving the borders untouched. Set aside to cool down completely.

Puree raspberries: In a small saucepan, crush or blend 6 ounces until pureed. Remove half the raspberries into a separate cup.

Bring to a boil: To a saucepan, add half the raspberries (3 oz), 3 tablespoons sugar, and 4 teaspoons cornstarch. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil stirring vigorously to prevent scorching. Cook for 30 seconds after it comes to a boil. Remove off heat. The mixture will be very thick.

Add the reserved raspberries and stir them in. Allow to cool completely.

Transfer the raspberry sauce to a quart sized ziplock bag or a pastry bag fitted with a small (1/8") round tip. Twist the open end closed. Set aside.

To a small cup, add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and microwave until boiling, about 30 seconds.

Add 1/4 of a cup chocolate chips and shimmy the cup until all chocolate is submerged. Leave for 1-2 minutes undisturbed. Whisk the mixture until it's smooth. Set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon of chocolate ganache to the inside of each tart and spread to cover the bottom. Set aside.

Tip: add the chocolate ganache to a small ziplock bag, seal it, then snip the corner off to drizzle the chocolate inside each tart and make the process cleaner and faster.

To a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment add 7 oz of cream cheese and whip until smooth, scraping the bottom as needed, 2-3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cups sugar and whip again to incorporate.

With the mixer running add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, drizzling it in slowly, being careful that it doesn't splatter out of the bowl. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Whip until the mixture is very fluffy and no longer runny, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the mixture into a gallon-sized ziplock bag or an 18" pastry bag fitted with a ⅓ - ½ inch round tip. 

Pipe walnut sized dollops inside each tart.

Nestle the tip of the bag with raspberry sauce filling in the center of the piped cream cheese filling and press the sauce gently while wiggling the end to fill the center with raspberry filling.

Add 3 raspberries or blueberries or any other berry to the top of each tart.

Drizzle the top of each tart with the remaining chocolate ganache.

Refrigerate the puff pastry tarts until ready to serve. If serving right away, freeze for 30 minutes before serving. Set a timer as you do not want the raspberries to freeze, but just thoroughly chill.