Pastry chef Jennifer McCoy of Craft in New York City bristles when other people offer to bring dessert to parties. "What are they thinking?" she says. "That's mine!" McCoy often brings this raspberry tart, with its creamy filling and pistachio-studded crust. She packs the components separately and assembles the tart just before serving. More Fruit Desserts
How to Make It
In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar and salt at medium speed until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk and beat until smooth. Add the flour and pistachios and beat just until incorporated. Scrape the pastry onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten the pastry into a disk, wrap in the plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to a 13-inch round. Remove the plastic and ease the pastry into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; trim the overhang and patch any tears. Refrigerate the pastry until firm, about 10 minutes.
Line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and bake for 15 minutes longer or until golden and cooked through. Let cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk with the vanilla bean, seeds and salt and bring to a boil. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the cornstarch and eggs. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk. Scrape the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Spread the pastry cream in the tart shell and arrange the raspberries on top; sprinkle with the pistachios to garnish. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.