Austrian Coffee Tart with raspberries!!

Looking for something different to make I spent a few hours scouring my books for something that looked tasty. Instead I found something that sounded tasty. Even though this book is full of great pictures, the pictures that accompany the pastry are very helpful, I of course chose a recipe without a picture.

This recipe filled some criteria that I was looking for. 1. Having spent my Christmas gift money on a tart tin it’s probably about time I used it. 2. I was desperate to use my coffee extract I recently made 3. It was different then my normal bakes found on here. 4. I have yet to bake from Home Bake by Eric Lanlard (first thoughts on the book)

I had a few hiccups (see * below) I am more confident today about it then I was yesterday. Still not 100% sure it’s right; this time a picture would have been helpful! (see: Coffee Extract update for my insanity) But after reading the top of the recipe “This light-as-air tart is based on an Austrian classic. It is like across between a tart, a meringue and a macaroon.” That’s exactly what I thought when eating it. The raspberries really compliment the tart. If you have or will attempt this recipe and your results were/are different I would love for you to share with me!! Also Eric Lanlard if you happen to read this please let me know if this is what it’s suppose to look like! lol thanks!  ;0)

Sweet shortcrust pastry 

• 115g (4oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50g (2oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 25g (1oz) icing sugar (confectioner sugar) sifted
• 1 egg yolk (save the white for the rest of the tart)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the measured butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs (mine never look like fine breadcrumbs but it does look like breadcrumbs (I wonder how often I can type breadcrumbs in one sentence!!))

Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center.

Lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 tbsp cold water and the vanilla. Add to the well in the flour mixture and mix in with your fingertips. Gather together to make soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour before rolling it out.

Once chilled, knead he dough minimally, then roll out on a lightly floured surface until a little larger then a 23cm (9in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Use some extra butter to grease the flan tins base and sides.

Lift the pastry over the rolling pin, drape in the buttered tin and press over the base and up the side. Trim the excess pastry by rolling a rolling pin across the top.

Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.

To blind-bake which you will need to do for this tart recipe:

Pre-heat the oven 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

Line the raw pastry with baking paper (grease proof) and fill with ceramic baking beans. *Eric says that they conduct more heat then the dried beans often recommended. I would agree that this pastry turned out better then the one I made for a coconut cream pie (Before Blog) where I used lentils. It got puffy and the cream filling didn’t fill it right. Still tasted good though.

Bake for 6-10 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes to dry out the base.

If you wanted to use this for a liquid base (which we aren’t here) brush the inside of the pastry with an egg beaten with 1 tbsp of milk after taking out the baking beans and cook for the full 10 minutes. It helps keep the crunchiness longer.

Austrian Coffee Tart with Raspberries

• 22cm (8 ½ in) blind-baked sweet shortcrust pastry tart case
• 3 punnets of raspberries
• icing sugar for dusting

• 250g (9oz) icing sugar (confectioners)
• 1 tbsp coffee extract
• 4 egg whites

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. I just turned my oven down after baking the tart case.

Put the icing sugar, coffee extract and one of the egg whites in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon at first, and then an electric hand whisk, mix and beat them together until really fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining egg whites to soft peaks.

Fold these gently into the coffee mixture, using a large metal spoon.

Pour this into the pastry case, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

 *I ran into a time problem here. I had it baking for 15 minutes when I realised I needed to get my daughter from preschool. Time just got away from me, so I turned the oven off and went to get her. We did make it back at about the time it should have been done, but I turned the oven back up to 170C and baked for a further 10 minutes before taking it out and letting it cool. Needless to say I am not 100% sure this has turned out right. It is one of the few recipes that does not have a picture accompanying it.

To serve cover it in raspberries and dust with icing sugar.