Try out this delicious raspberry and sage tart recipe

No other country so embodies the art of sweet pleasures like France. That is why François Blanc set out to make a cookbook of France’s most mouthwatering dessert recipes, which he named Sweet France.

The below recipe is ideal for hosting people if you want to prepare something tasty and fresh. He describes it as a .“a surprising raspberry tart with a hint of sage and a light whipped ganache”.

The recipe serves eight people and requires an hour to prepare, 15 minutes to cook and six hours of resting time (for the tart). 

Ingredients

For the whipped raspberry ganache:

170g Raspberry Inspiration (a fruit couverture made by Valrhona – a subtle blend of cocoa butter, sugar and raspberry) 

410g whipping cream, of which 300g should be chilled

10g glucose powder 

1 sheet 200 bloom gelatine (2g), softened in cold water

For the sweet pastry:

150g unsalted butter 

100g icing sugar

30g almond flour

1 extra-large (UK large/60g) egg, at room temperature, beaten

1 pinch salt

250g all-purpose (plain) flour

For the caramelised hazelnuts:

30g caster sugar

125g hazelnuts

Assembly:

300g raspberries 

Honey

Sage leaves

Read more: French winter warmer recipes: Boeuf bourguignon 

Method 

1. Make the whipped raspberry ganache: Melt the couverture chocolate. 

Heat 110g of cream with the glucose in a saucepan, then pour over the chocolate. 

Add the gelatine to the bowl and stir with a whisk. 

Finish by incorporating the remaining chilled 300g) cream and refrigerate for at least six hours.

2. Make the sweet pastry: Cream the butter with the sugar. Add and incorporate the almond flour, followed by the egg, and finish with the salt and flour. 

Mix to a smooth dough, then transfer to the work surface and knead once with the palm of your hand. Refrigerate for at least two hours. 

Roll out the dough to 3mm thickness and line an 18cm diameter pastry ring. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then fill with pie weights (baking beans) and prebake at 160°C for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

3. Make the caramelised hazelnuts: Combine 1 tablespoon (15g) water with the sugar in a saucepan and heat to 130°C. 

Add the hazelnuts and mix continuously until the nuts are coated with sugar and then caramelised. 

At that point, transfer to a container.

4. Assembly: Whip the ganache to a consistency suitable for piping. Cut half of the raspberries in half. 

Lightly heat the honey and drizzle over the whole raspberries to make them glossy. 

Use a pastry (piping) bag fitted with a plain tip (nozzle) to pipe balls of whipped ganache over the tart. Alternate with half and whole raspberries. 

Finish by arranging caramelised hazelnuts and sage leaves over the top.

The sage is not there for decoration; the freshness it adds is an integral part of the tart. It can be replaced by basil.

This recipe was in the cookbook Sweet France from François Blanc and can be purchased on Amazon, Fnac and other book sellers.