Raspberry Almond Tart

Yum!

• For pastry dough
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, all cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1/2 tablespoon, melted
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons ice water
• For raspberry filling
• 2 cups raspberries (1/2 lb)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• For almond mixture
• 1/3 cup whole blanched almonds (1 3/4 oz)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• Special equipment: a 9- to 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with removable side; pie weights or raw rice
• Garnish: fresh raspberries; confectioners sugar for dusting

Make pastry dough:
Pulse together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter cubes and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Whisk together yolk and water in a small bowl, then drizzle into flour mixture and pulse until dough just forms a ball. Divide dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, then flatten into 1/2-inch-thick disks. Chill, each disk wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Brush tart pan (including sides) with melted butter.

Roll out slightly larger disk of dough (keeping remaining disk chilled) between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a very thin 11-inch round. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and invert dough into tart pan, pressing gently to fit. Roll over top edge of pan with rolling pin to trim edge, then remove plastic wrap and discard trimmings. Prick all over bottom of shell (but not sides) lightly with a fork, then chill in freezer 30 minutes.

Line chilled shell with buttered foil (buttered side down) and fill with pie weights. Bake until edge is pale golden and pastry is set underneath weights, 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.

Make raspberry filling:
Stir together raspberries, sugar, and flour in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until liquid from berries is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Make almond mixture:
Pulse almonds with flour and confectioners sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and almond extract and pulse until mixture forms clumps.

Assemble and bake tart:
Crumble almond mixture evenly over bottom of cooled pastry shell. Stir raspberry filling and spread evenly over almond mixture.

Roll out remaining disk of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 10-inch round (less than 1/8 inch thick) and transfer to a baking sheet. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and cut dough with a pastry wheel or sharp knife into 12 (1/2-inch-wide) strips, then freeze strips on baking sheet 5 minutes. Lay 6 strips across raspberry filling (1 inch apart), discarding plastic wrap and pressing ends onto edge of crust. Arrange 6 more strips diagonally across first strips (1 inch apart) to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Repair any broken pieces of dough by carefully pressing them together. Trim edges of all strips flush with top edge of pan.

Bake tart until lattice crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool tart completely, about 3 hours.

Note: From Gourmet magazine