Raspberry Crème Brûlée Tartlets

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crystallized ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1 tablespoon raspberry preserves, stirred to loosen
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 ounce white chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberry

Directions

1. 1

   For crusts:

2. 2

   Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and ginger and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in ice water and process until clumps form. Gather dough into ball and divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.).

3. 3

   Roll out each dough disk between two pieces of plastic wrap to 6-inch round. Gently press each into two 4 1/2-inch tartlet pans. Fold overhang in to form double-thick sides. Poke bottom of crusts a couple times with fork. Freeze 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Preheat oven to 375°F Bake crusts until golden, about 25 minutes, piercing with fork if crusts bubble. Transfer to cooling rack. Immediately spoon 1/2 tablespoon preserves over bottom of each crust. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

5. 5

   For custard:

6. 6

   Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat, add white chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk yolks and vanilla in medium bowl. Slowly whisk cream mixture into yolks to blend well. Pour custard into both crusts. Bake until center is set, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack. Chill several hours or overnight.

7. 7

   Sprinkle each tartlet with 1 teaspoon sugar. Using a kitchen torch slowly heat the sugar moving the torch in small circles until sugar melts and browns, being careful not to burn the crusts. Refrigerate tartlets until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Arrange fresh raspberries around edge of tartlets and serve.