Description
A subtly sweet and tangy tart made with a creamy mascarpone and Greek yogurt filling in a pistachio and black pepper shell; topped with fresh figs, crunchy pistachios and sweet honey.
Ingredients
PISTACHIO BLACK PEPPER TART SHELL
- 1 large egg yolk (- at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons cream or half & half
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (- cold & cut into 1/4" cubes)
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (- sifted)
- 1/3 cup raw pistachios (- shelled)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
MASCARPONE FILLING
- 1 cup mascarpone (- at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt (- at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
TOPPINGS
- 4-5 fresh figs
- 1/4 cup pistachios (- coarsely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
PISTACHIO BLACK PEPPER TART SHELL
- Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl, set aside.
- Combine the pistachios with 1/4 cup of flour in a food processor, pulse until finely ground. *The flour will absorb the oils from the nuts and keep them from turning to a paste in the food processor.
- Add the remaining flour, powdered sugar, salt and black pepper. Pulse until fully combined.
- Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the butter chunks are about the size of dimes. You want a rough texture with some floury butter chunks still visible as opposed to a smooth dough.
- While pulsing the dough, slowly add the liquid mixture just until the dough starts to come together into a ball.
- Remove from the food processor and combine the dough into a flattened and smooth oblong disk for a rectangular tart pan or a round disk for a round tart pan. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
MASCARPONE FILLING
- While the dough rests in the fridge, prepare the filling by blending the mascarpone, Greek yogurt, vanilla and 1/3 cup of honey until smooth. This can be done by hand or with a mixer.
- Once fully blended, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
BAKING & TOPPING THE TART
- After the dough has chilled in the fridge for at least 1 hour, remove from fridge and preheat oven to 400° F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out in an oblong shape if using a rectangular tart pan or a round shape if using a round tart pan, until it is about 1/4" thick.
- Carefully ease the dough into tart pan. If it cracks or breaks during the transfer process, use your fingers to pinch and press the dough back together to repair.
- Cut the excess dough off, leaving a 1-1 1/2" overhang all the way around. Then fold the overhanging dough back inward creating a thicker edge all the way around. Run your rolling pin along the top edges of the tart pan trimming off the extra dough and creating a perfect tart edge (see image in post for reference).
- Line the tart dough with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, fill with beans or pie weights. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges begin to turn a golden brown. Remove the foil filled with beans and bake the crust for another 5 minutes until the edges are a deep golden brown and the bottom is fully baked and golden.
- Allow the crust to cool completely, then fill with mascarpone filling. Smooth out the top with the back of a spatula. Then chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours allowing the filling to set up.
- Once the filling is set and doesn't jiggle anymore, slice into 8-10 wedges. Top sliced wedges with quartered figs, chopped pistachios and drizzle with honey.
Notes
*For this recipe you will need either a 14 x 41⁄2 x 1 inch oblong tart pan or a 91⁄2 x 1 inch round tart, with a removable bottom.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: tart