Raspberry Tart (2012- Week 29)

Week 29 Ingredient of the Week: Mascarpone Cheese

On the Food Network Channel, all the chefs are always using Mascarpone cheese, and I kept wondering if I was missing out on something.  Is it the same as cream cheese? Something better?  I just had to find out.  But I never saw it in the cheese or dairy section at the grocery store.  And then, while I was shopping for some Gruyère cheese for my Chicken Cordon Bleu, it suddenly appeared, hidden in the exotic cheese section near the deli!  So I whipped out my iPhone and searched for a recipe using this new ingredient.  This recipe caught my eye because it looked simple and because raspberries were on sale this week!  Woo hoo!

Jeremy and I enjoyed this dessert, although I made the crust way too thick.  I should have just thrown out half of the dough I made instead of trying to press ALL of it into the pie plate.  It was still good, but with just a thinner crust, it would have been perfect.   So... how did the mascarpone differ from regular ol' cream cheese?  Jeremy said he didn't notice.  I definitely tasted a difference, although it's hard to explain.  The mascarpone tasted a little sweeter, a little creamier.  I liked it.

Tart de Framboises au Mascarpone (Raspberry Tart)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup ground almonds
1&3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
9 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
4&1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh raspberries
chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease a pie plate (or six 4" tart pans) with butter, then dust with flour.

In a bowl, stir 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar and ground almonds together until well combined. Mix in the flour, then stir in the unsalted butter and egg.  Mix until the dough is smooth and pliable, then form into a ball and place into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Roll out dough and pat into the prepared pan.  Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes.  Let cool. 

In a bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese, yogurt, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is thick and smooth. Spoon the mascarpone filling onto crust; arrange raspberries on top of the filling in an attractive low mound.  Sprinkle each tart with pistachios if desired.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving.