Instructions: "I wont pretend that the chocolate pastry here is easy to work with.

Yes, it does tear easily, but that doesnt matter because it patches up perfectly, too.

"Maybe the first time you make these, you should try to get just four little tarts out of the dough; later, when youre more confident, you should be able to make six without trouble." (The quote is by a British woman who has a tv show.)

For the tarts:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour, plus additional for working the dough 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold (1/2 cup)

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon ice water

For the filling:
2 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mascarpone
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream About 2 pints raspberries
4 to 6 tartlet pans (2 1/2-by-5 inches) with removable bottoms

For the tarts: Your best bet is to make the pastry in a food processor, so put the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt into the bowl and pulse to blend. Cut butter into small pieces and pulse with flour mixture until it looks crumbly.

Beat yolk and ice water together and add it down the funnel. When pastry starts to clump together, turn it out of processor onto lightly floured surface.

Work it together with your hands and shape into two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a very lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out one dough disc to 1/4 inch thickness. Pastry will be quite dry because of the cocoa, so dont be too heavy-handed with the flour on your rolling surface.

Using a tart pan as a guide, cut two or three rough circles about 3/4 inch larger than the pan. Ease the pastry into the pans - dont worry if the dough breaks, just patch it as best you can - and cut off the excess pastry. Do this with the remaining dough and freeze them until they feel frozen, about 30 minutes.

While pastry is in the freezer, turn on oven to 350 degrees and slip in a baking sheet to heat up at the same time.

Put tartlets straight into oven on baking sheet; cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until pastry feels cooked and dry.

The freezing plus the fact that the individual area is small means that they shouldnt puff up, which in turn means were doing without the beans and all that blind-baking palaver. Transfer the pastry shells to a wire rack to cool.

When the pastry shells are cool, carefully slip them out of their pans.

While the pastrys cooking, melt the white chocolate for the filling, either in the microwave or in a double boiler.

To finish the filling: Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the mascarpone and cream just until combined. Whisking constantly, slowly add the melted, slightly cooled, white chocolate. Go gently with your whisking: you dont want this too thick; however, a little extra unwhipped cream stirred in at the end will thin it down if necessary.

To assemble: Fill the pastry shells with the cream mixture. Top with raspberries. Serve immediately.

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