Mini Chocolate Pistachio Tarts
It’s April now, and though most of us have been asked to stay inside, we can still celebrate the arrival of spring. Flowers blooming, warmer weather, and more daylight hours are all mood-boosters that can help make our days a bit brighter. Major holidays like Easter and Passover are coming up, and in my world this month hosts quite a number of birthdays including that of my father and three close friends. So whether you’re celebrating a holiday or your favorite people, why not try baking something that makes you think of spring?
This chocolate tart is for pistachio lovers and its bright green color looks quite springy to me. A chocolate pâté sucrée crust is first layered with finely chopped caramel coated pistachios that have been mixed with melted white chocolate, and then topped with a thick layer of chocolate ganache. It’s another recipe by Maja Vase, the pastry chef from Denmark who also dreamed up the Cookie Tart that I made for Valentines Day this year. I don’t think I’d ever had caramel coated pistachios before and I fell in love with them, so I sprinkled an additional layer across the top of the tart too.
Love Pistachios? Check out my Pistachio Shortbread with Dark Chocolate »
Mini Chocolate Pistachio Tarts Recipe
Find it on the Maja Vase iOS or Android recipe app ($5 USD)
Difficulty:
Moderate
Yield:
6-8 small tarts depending on the size of your tart rings
Special equipment:
Mini tart rings or tart pans with removable bottoms
Unused small paintbrush for painting chocolate (optional)
I will say that the app is not written for beginner bakers. It doesn’t walk you through every step and assumes you have some knowledge of things like caramelizing sugar and lining pastry rings. But don’t let that necessarily scare you off, especially if you’ve made a tart or pie before. The steps are not particularly hard, just Google things that aren’t familiar, and give it a shot. You could also have a look at my Cookie Tart post where I have photos of lining a tart ring. The recipe is fairly flexible. I used granulated sugar instead of caster sugar for the caramel, 3.25 inch tart rings instead of 5 cm tart rings and skipped painting the inside of the tart with even more chocolate like she prescribed. (I had plenty of chocolate but nothing to paint it on with!) Everything turned out great.
A few tips
Get that bright green color by removing as much of the brown skin as you can from the pistachios. I spent a few minutes doing this and it really paid off. Also, make sure you’re using unsalted pistachios!
The dough for the crust is very soft. I ended up having to put the rolled out dough in the freezer for 20 min before I could successfully line the tart ring even after the initial chill. After I lined the tart rings, I refrigerated them for an additional 20 minutes firm the dough back up before baking.
175° Celsius = 350° Fahrenheit
Save some time by working on the filling step – caramelize the sugar, coat the pistachios and chop them up — while the tart dough is chilling.
Do ahead. You could make the tart and caramel coated pistachios one day and complete the tart the next. Store both in airtight containers at room temperature once they have cooled down.
Refrigerate any leftover filled tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Finally, the right equipment makes all the difference. I used perforated tart rings, perforated baking mat, and perforated sheet pan. They are an investment. And though they’re not strictly necessary, they let you skip docking and weighing down the crust when you blind bake it which you’ll otherwise need to do. A worthy investment if you plan to add this style of tart to your repertoire.
I hope you’ll give these tarts a try. They’re beautiful and, to steal a word from Mary Berry, “scrumptious” treats. Enjoy!
