This strawberry, pistachio and orange blossom tart recipe was born from a gourmet challenge set by Cuisine Addict. The aim was to create a tart adorned with chocolate decorations on the theme “lightness and indulgence”.
To make this tart, I used Cacao Barry’s Zephyr white chocolate (which is the chocolate I usually use) and I had the chance to test the Pavoni knife to create chocolate feathers. An incredibly fresh and indulgent dessert made in a slightly different ring, an oblong ring by the brand Debuyer. I really like this shape, which makes a change from the traditional round tart.
This tart is made up of a pâte sucrée, a pistachio trocadéro sponge, a strawberry confit, a pistachio namelaka cream, an orange blossom whipped ganache and fresh strawberries — French, of course. I’m a true strawberry addict, I’d eat them every day if it were up to me.
The hardest part for me was making the chocolate feathers. I don’t have the hang of tempering chocolate, and therefore of chocolate decorations. It was a real challenge. I had the theory, but in practice, it was a whole other story. What’s more, I absolutely wanted to get slightly curved feathers, but I didn’t have a baguette tray (which is ideal for this), so I really struggled trying to get my acetate sheet to hold. My feathers are far from perfect. In fact, I only put 3 on the tart — the others really weren’t presentable to my taste…
Ingredients & method
7 components · Full recipe
Sweet pastry (to 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) almond flour
- 60 g (2.1 oz) egg (1 large egg)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain flour
- a pinch of fleur de sel
- a knife tip of vanilla powder
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 almond flour, vanilla powder and fleur de sel and mix again.
2
Next add the beaten egg and mix using a spatula (it will be easier than with the stand mixer).
3
Finish with the flour and mix with the stand mixer until a smooth dough forms. Do not overwork the dough. Gather the dough into a ball without pressing too much. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
4
Wrap both portions in cling film, flattening them into rectangles. Refrigerate one portion overnight and freeze the other (to make another tart).
5
The next day, roll the dough out to a thickness of 2–3 mm using a rolling pin. Cut out a piece of dough slightly larger than your tart ring.
6
Grease an oblong tart ring, then lay the dough inside, making sure to create a clean right angle.
Orange blossom whipped ganache (to 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 g (0 oz) powdered gelatine (just under a sheet)
- 6 g (0.2 oz) water (to bloom the gelatine)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons orange blossom water (I used 2 and it was quite subtle)
Method
1
Bloom the powdered gelatine in water.
2
Make a ganache: melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie until it is just beginning to melt.
3
In a small saucepan, heat the 50 g (1.8 oz) of heavy cream. Off the heat, add the bloomed gelatine.
4
Pour one-third of the cream over the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Then pour in a second third, then a third, until the mixture is perfectly smooth and homogeneous.
5
Add the 80 g (2.8 oz) of cold heavy cream and the orange blossom water.
Pistachio namelaka (to make the day before)
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) white chocolate
- 0.7 g (0 oz) powdered gelatine
- 4.2 g (0.1 oz) water (to bloom the gelatine)
- 35 g (1.2 oz) whole milk
- 70 g (2.5 oz) heavy cream
- 20 g (0.7 oz) pistachio paste
Method
1
Bloom the gelatine in cold water.
2
Place the white chocolate in a bowl and melt it in the microwave.
3
In a small saucepan, heat the milk.
4
Off the heat, add the bloomed gelatine and stir with a spatula.
5
Pour one-third of the milk over the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Then pour in a second third, then a third, until the mixture is perfectly smooth and homogeneous.
6
Add the cold heavy cream and the pistachio paste, then blend with a hand blender.
Strawberry compote (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) fresh strawberries
- 20 g (0.7 oz) caster sugar
- 1.5 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
- a dash of lemon juice
Method
1
Wash the strawberries, cut them into pieces and heat in a saucepan.
2
Once the strawberries are warm, add the sugar and NH pectin, which have been thoroughly combined. Bring to the boil while whisking and keep at a rolling boil for one minute.
3
Off the heat, add a dash of lemon juice and blend the mixture to obtain a smooth compote. A few small pieces of strawberry may remain.
Baking the sweet pastry
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 g (0.1 oz) heavy cream
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F (fan).
2
Once the dough is well chilled, trim the excess dough overhanging the ring using a small knife.
3
Place a sheet of baking paper over the dough and fill with baking beans or dried beans for blind baking (in principle, if the tart shell has been in the fridge overnight, no baking beans are needed — the dough won't move).
4
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, unmould and leave to cool slightly.
5
Smooth out any imperfections in the pastry using a Microplane grater.
6
Glaze the tart shell with a mixture of egg yolk and heavy cream to give a shiny finish (the heavy cream should represent 10% of the weight of the yolk).
Pistachio trocadéro sponge (recipe by C. Michalak)
Ingredients
- 55 g (1.9 oz) icing sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) pistachio powder
- 8 g (0.3 oz) cornstarch
- 30 g (1.1 oz) almond flour
- 5 g (0.2 oz) egg yolk
- 15 g (0.5 oz) pistachio paste
- 40 g (1.4 oz) + 40 g (1.4 oz) egg whites
- 20 g (0.7 oz) sugar
- 40 g (1.4 oz) butter
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan).
2
Melt the butter and leave it to cool.
3
In a bowl, mix the sifted dry ingredients together (icing sugar, pistachio powder and cornstarch).
4
Add the almond flour, the 5 g (0.2 oz) of egg yolk, the pistachio paste and 40 g (1.4 oz) of egg whites, and mix with a whisk.
5
Whip the remaining 40 g (1.4 oz) of egg whites with the sugar to stiff peaks.
6
Fold the meringue into the previous mixture, then fold in the melted butter.
7
Pour the batter into a mould slightly larger than the tart ring and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Pour the strawberry compote onto the tart base and spread it evenly using a small offset spatula.
2
Place the pistachio trocadéro sponge on the strawberry compote, centred, and press down gently so the compote comes up around the sides.
3
Cover with the namelaka cream, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula so it is level with the top of the tart.
4
Whip the orange blossom ganache with a stand mixer until it holds — do not over-whip. Place it in a piping bag fitted with a 16 mm plain nozzle and pipe small domes of ganache here and there.
5
Arrange pieces of strawberries cut in half and in quarters, then scatter pistachio nibs over the top.
Gallery
