Raspberry-Lemon Tart

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips, pressing and blending until the butter looks granular and the mixture begins to hold together. In a small cup or bowl, combine 1 Tbs. water and the vanilla. Drizzle the vanilla mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a fork until the ingredients are well combined and the pastry holds together when pressed. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the moisture. Then, use your fingertips to press the pastry into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch (30-cm) heart-shaped tart pan or 9-inch (23-cm) round tart pan, each with a removable bottom. Cover the tart shell with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm.

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

Remove the tart shell from the freezer and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

To make the lemon curd, in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns bright yellow and is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 minutes. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and nest the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk occasionally until the lemon curd is completely cool. Transfer the curd to a smaller container, cover and refrigerate until completely cold, about 2 hours.

To assemble the tart, in a small saucepan, combine the raspberry jam with the kirsch and stir over medium heat until warm and liquid, 3 to 4 minutes. To strain out the seeds, pour the jam mixture through a fine-mesh sieve held over a bowl, pressing against the mixture with the back of a spoon. Brush a very thin layer of the jam mixture over the bottom of the prebaked tart shell. Fill the shell with the chilled lemon curd and spread into an even layer, jiggling the shell gently so that the surface of the lemon curd is even. Place the raspberries on top of the curd in one snug layer, with the bottoms of the raspberries facing upward. Refrigerate the tart until ready to serve. Serves 8.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Newlywed Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)