Raspberry-Lime Shortbread Tart or Raspberry-Lime Bars

Mili Takashima

Classic, butter shortbread makes up the tart-crust. Raspberry and/or Lime Curd pull the flavors together for a whole tart or Raspberry-Lime Bars.

1 cup salted butter two sticks/1 cup, plus two tablespoons, cut into pats. You can substitute real butter for vegan butter
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour You can substitute a 1:1 gluten free flour mixture
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup salted butter, softened 2 sticks
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup raspberry curd - puree fresh berries (blended or food processed) with the seeds strained/removed. lime curd - squeeze the juice of 6-8 limes (add optional zest)
3 tablespoons corn starch optional if you want a thicker curd, add up to 1/3 cup.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your ingredients and pan. Melt the butter pats until they are extremely soft and only mostly liquid. Add the melted butter, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and combine. Pour on to the top of the prepared dry ingredients.
Mix by hand with a spatula or spoon or with a machine, until all of the ingredients have come together and have literally lifted from the bowl, forming the shortbread dough.
I used a 7" x 11" rectangle tart pan. The dough will form a ball in your hands within seconds and is very pliable. You can use cooking spray or parchment paper for the bottom of your tart pan.
Push it down toward the bottom of the pan.
Work it to try to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. You can also use a inverted spatula to help get the base evenly distributed.
Form and arrange the dough to come up to the top and the sides.
For a nice and clean finish, push the excess dough away from the top edge of the pan. Use a fork or toothpick to poke holes at the bottom of the dough so that it does not rise during baking.
Bake until golden brown. Depending on the thickness and size of your crust, you'll want to start checking the bake at 10-15 minutes and it may take up to 20.
You can have this prepared in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before you bake. Allow to completely cool before pouring in your fruit curd of choice.

Cream the butter to cover the bottom of your mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and optional corn starch. Mix until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until all are incorporated. Mix in the raspberry puree last.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan at medium heat. Use a whisk to constantly stir the ingredients. Use a hand-held kitchen thermometer to continue checking the temperature.
In 5 or so minutes, you'll notice that it will start to bubble. It will also be turning a deeper pink color. At that point, lower the heat to medium-low and continue whisking. It will take about 10 minutes for the batch to be complete. It should reach between 175-180 degrees using a thermometer.
Pour the hot mixture directly into the cooled, prepared pie crust.
Use an offset spatula to spread the filling evenly. I don't like to use plastic wrap to cover tarts before I refrigerate, since it creates snags in the filling.
Place the tart into the refrigerator as is, for at least three hours, or until you are ready to serve. I tend to allow it to set for 8 hours or overnight since the thickness of the curd-pour will depend on the time it takes to set.
One is has set and cooled, you can decorate it with fresh fruit or garnish.