A Great Raspberry Tart

It's a strange season here in the Hudson Valley.  Feels like high summer - almost 100 degrees yesterday - but the gardens are still in their infancy.  Two weeks ago we had sleet. Wandering the farmers' markets is discouraging; what you want is corn, tomatoes and berries, but what you find is kale, arugula, a few salad greens. And, if you're lucky, the last local asparagus. Peas? They're long-gone.

I won't give in to imported corn or tomatoes.  But I did want to bake a pie.  And so yes, I bought California raspberries. And made this truly lovely tart.

It's no more than naked berries sandwiched between a crust and a crumble, so the flavor of the fruit, intensified by the oven's heat, comes shining through.

The picture at the top is the tart, just before it went into the oven.  I forgot to take a picture when I took it out, but here's the single remaining slice.  It will be breakfast.

Raspberry Streusel Tart

Make a single crust pie dough; lately I've been using all butter, and replacing half of the ice water with vodka.  But use any recipe you like, roll it out into a 10-inch tart shell with removable bottom, and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven (to catch spills and leaking butter).

Make the streusel topping by melting a stick of butter and stirring in 3/4 cup of sugar, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of salt and a cup of flour.  It should be thick.

Put six cups of raspberries (4 packages) into your tart shell.  Crumble the streusel over the top, distributing it evenly, and put the tart onto the baking sheet in the hot oven.  After ten minutes turn the heat down to 375 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or so, until the top is a lovely golden brown.

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the side of the pan, then cool completely before serving.