apple & pistachio tart
an upgraded tart version of a dish i’ve made before…
pastry
adapted from matt adlard
113g butter, softened
80g icing sugar
3 egg yolks
225g flour
pinch of salt
apple insert
3 granny smith apples, peeled, diced
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice
30g sugar
apple mousse
300g granny smith apples, peeled, chopped
50g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp powdered gelatin
1 tbsp cold water
200g whipped cream, whipped to medium peaks
caramel
200g sugar
90g butter, softened, cubed
120ml whipping cream
1tsp salt
pistachio mousse
80g white chocolate
50g sugar
50g pistachio paste
5g gelatin sheets
350g whipping cream, whipped to medium peaks
matcha coating
300g cocoa butter
150g white chocolate
8g matcha powder
pastry
in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, icing sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, then mix in the egg yolks, add the flour, and beat everything together until a dough forms. form the dough into a disc and wrap in cling film, chill for 30 minutes.
preheat the oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and get 4 4inch tart rings.
roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or in between two pieces of parchment paper to your desired thickness, then cut out 4 6inch circles and carefully press the pastry into the tart shells, patching up any cracks. freeze the pastry shells for 15 minutes then bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
apple insert
combine the diced apples, golden syrup, lemon juice, sugar in a saucepan set over high heat, bring to a boil and continue to cook until the liquid becomes a syrup and the apples are still slightly firm. spoon the apple filling into a silicone mould then place in the freezer to set.
apple mousse
combine the powdered gelatin and cold water in a small bowl, set aside.
place the chopped apples, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook the apples until tender. once the apples are soft using a stick blender, blend the apples until smooth. return the apples to the pan and bring to a boil, then stir in the gelatin until it all dissolves. pour the apple puree into a bowl and leave to cool for 30 minutes. (don’t let it set)
once the apple puree is cool, fold one-third of it into the whipped cream, then repeat with the remaining thirds, continue to carefully fold everything together until there are no streaks left. pipe or spoon the mixture into dome silicon moulds, place in the freezer for 1 hour.
take a tablespoon and spoon out the middle of the apple mousse, enough room for the small apple dome to fit. then place the apple dome into the mousse, leave it in the freezer overnight.
caramel
place the sugar in a tall saucepan, set over high heat. occasionally stirring until the sugar turns a dark amber colour (i like to get mine on the edge of burnt). take the pan off the heat and carefully whisk in the butter, it will bubble up and look kinda scary it’s fine. then whisk in the whipped cream, return the pan to the heat and cook just for another minute, whisk in the salt. place the caramel in a bowl and leave it in the fridge to set.
assembly
dice a granny smith apple, you want the pieces quite small (i’m not going to give an exact measurement because i don’t know measurements by just looking). chop a hand full of pistachios, sprinkle the apple and pistachios in the bottom of the tart shell, about a tablespoon or two. then spoon or pipe over the caramel, enough to cover the apple/pistachios. leave in the fridge.
pistachio mousse
bloom the gelatin in a bowl with cold water set aside.
place the white chocolate, sugar, pistachio paste in a heat-safe bowl, then place the bowl over a saucepan with water in it (this is a bain-marie), set over high heat. melt everything together, stirring occasionally, once the white chocolate mixture has melted take the bowl off the pan, stir in the bloomed gelatin. using a spatula fold one-third of the white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, repeat with the remaining two thirds, gently fold everything together until there are no streaks left.
spoon or pipe the mousse into the prepared tart shells, using an offset spatula or the back of a butter knife smooth out the top. place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
matcha coating
place the cocoa butter, white chocolate, matcha powder in a heat-safe bowl over a pan of boiling water (bain-marie). melt everything together stirring occasionally, once melted using a stick blender, blend it for 30 seconds, transfer the coating to a tall jug, let it cool at room temp until it reaches about 40C.
un-mould the frozen apple mousse, using a long metal skewer, stab the mousse on the flat side and carefully dip the dome into the coating, place the green dome on top of the prepared tart shell. leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to defrost.
chop a hand full of pistachios and place them around the edges of the tart:)
