Another tart? Yes, I know… but I just love tarts! They’re not hard to make and you can vary them in loads of different ways, according to your cravings (and the seasons, obviously).
Here, I chose to make a strawberry, vanilla and pistachio tart, flavours that go together perfectly. It’s a recipe I made quite a while ago now, but I told myself I had to publish it before strawberry season disappears…
This strawberry, vanilla and pistachio tart is made up of a pâte sucrée, a pistachio cream (it’s like an almond cream but with ground pistachios added too), a pistachio namelaka cream, a strawberry confit and a vanilla whipped ganache. Yes, there are several preparations, but I promise none of them is really difficult. I’ll tell you how to organise yourself, as always. Some preparations can be made the day before.
Here I tried out the Debuyer Oblong ring; this shape is rather original and makes a change from the traditional round tart. Obviously, you can make this strawberry, vanilla and pistachio tart in any tart ring (20-22 cm in diameter). I really advise you to respect the resting time of the pâte sucrée in the fridge (once you’ve lined your tart ring), that’s what will give you a super even pastry (and the edges won’t slump during baking).
And if you’re a fan of the more traditional strawberry tart, I advise you to go and have a look at my other recipe (made with pastry cream).
Ingredients & Method
7 components · Full recipe
Sweet pastry (start 2 days ahead or the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) butter
- 95 g (3.4 oz) icing sugar
- 30 g (1.1 oz) ground almonds
- 60 g (2.1 oz) egg (one large egg)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain flour
- a pinch of fleur de sel
- a knife tip of vanilla powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 g (0.1 oz) heavy cream
Method
1
Place the softened butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Add the ground almonds, vanilla powder and fleur de sel and mix again.
2
Add the beaten egg and mix with a spatula this time (it will be easier than using the mixer).
3
Finish with the flour and mix with the machine just until a smooth dough forms. Do not overwork the pastry. Bring it together without insisting. Divide into 2 equal portions.
4
Wrap each portion in cling film, shaping into a flat rectangle. Refrigerate one overnight and freeze the other (for another tart).
5
The next day, roll out the dough to 2–3 mm thickness. Cut a piece slightly larger than your tart ring.
6
Grease a 27×8 cm (3.1 in) oblong tart ring, then line with the pastry, making sure to form a right angle at the base.
Vanilla whipped ganache (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 30 g (1.1 oz) white chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) + 80 g (2.8 oz) heavy cream
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 1 g (0 oz) powdered gelatin (just under one sheet)
- 6 g (0.2 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatin)
Method
1
Rehydrate the powdered gelatin in the water.
2
Make the ganache: melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie until it just begins to melt.
3
In a small saucepan, heat the 50 g (1.8 oz) of heavy cream with the scraped half vanilla pod. Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatin.
4
Pour one third of the cream onto the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Add the second third, then the third, until you have a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
Pistachio namelaka (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) white chocolate
- 0.7 g (0 oz) powdered gelatin
- 4.2 g (0.1 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatin)
- 35 g (1.2 oz) whole milk
- 70 g (2.5 oz) heavy cream
- 20 g (0.7 oz) pistachio paste
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatin in cold water.
2
Place the white chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave.
3
In a small saucepan, heat the milk.
4
Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatin and stir with a spatula.
5
Pour one third of the milk onto the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Add the second third, then the third, to obtain a smooth mixture.
6
Add the cold heavy cream and pistachio paste, then blend with a hand blender.
Strawberry compote (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) fresh strawberries
- 15 g (0.5 oz) caster sugar
- 1.5 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
- a dash of lemon juice
Method
1
Wash the strawberries, roughly chop them and place in a saucepan over heat.
2
When the strawberries are hot, add the sugar/pectin mixture and bring to a boil for at least 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3
While stirring, quickly crush the strawberries to obtain a compote texture.
4
Off the heat, add the lemon juice and leave to cool.
Baking the sweet pastry shell
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
2
Once the pastry is thoroughly chilled, trim the excess with a small knife.
3
Place a sheet of parchment paper and baking weights or dried beans on top for blind baking (normally, if the tart shell rested overnight in the fridge, the weights are not necessary as the pastry won’t move).
Pistachio cream
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) soft butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) icing sugar
- 5 g (0.2 oz) plain flour
- 50 g (1.8 oz) eggs
- 25 g (0.9 oz) ground almonds
- 25 g (0.9 oz) ground pistachios
Method
1
Meanwhile, beat the butter in a stand mixer (paddle attachment) until creamy.
2
Add the sifted icing sugar and mix.
3
Incorporate half the eggs, mix, then add half the ground almonds. Mix again.
4
Add the remaining eggs and mix, then add the ground pistachios, remaining ground almonds and flour. Mix until smooth.
5
After 15 minutes of baking, remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
6
Smooth any imperfections in the pastry with a microplane grater.
7
Pipe the pistachio cream into the tart shell, spreading it carefully and evenly (don’t add too much as it will expand during baking).
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place the namelaka in a piping bag and pipe a serpentine pattern onto the pistachio cream. Spread evenly across the entire surface using a small offset spatula. Place the tart in the freezer for 15 minutes before the next step.
2
Loosen the strawberry compote in a bowl with a whisk. Spread it over the namelaka, smoothing almost to the edges of the tart. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes before finishing.
3
Whip the vanilla ganache using a mixer — it should not be too firm. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle and pipe a serpentine of ganache down the centre of the tart, leaving space all around.
4
Gently arrange pieces of strawberry and scatter pistachio nibs over the top.
Gallery
