Pistachio Tart

5 from 2 votes

This triple pistachio tart is a truly decadent dessert that pistachio lovers will adore! It combines a pistachio shortcrust pastry, pistachio sponge and pistachio pastry cream.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time40

Resting Time4

Total Time6 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Sylvie

Equipment

9 inch / 22 cm Tart Ring, perforated

Ingredients

Pistachio Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

100 gr Unsalted Butter soft, at room temperature
50 gr Icing or Powdered Sugar sifted
1 large Egg at room temperature
40 gr Ground Pistachio
200 gr Plain / All-Purpose Flour
1 pinch Salt

Pistachio Pastry Cream

250 ml Full Cream / Whole Milk
2 large Egg Yolks at room temperature
25 gr Caster Sugar
20 gr Cornstarch
50 gr Pistachio Paste

Pistachio Sponge

100 gr Unsalted Butter soft, at room temperature
100 gr Icing or Powdered Sugar sifted
2 large Eggs at room temperature
120 gr Ground Pistachio
20 gr Raw Pistachio Kernels

Toppings (optional)

20 gr Raw Pistachio Kernels roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Lime Zest optional

Instructions

Pistachio Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Place the soft Butter and Icing Sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes or until creamy and smooth.
Mix in the egg and ground pistachio, then the sifted flower and pinch of salt. Slowly mix until a rough paste comes together (see note 1).
Place the pastry between two sheets of baking paper and slightly flatten it with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll into a large disk about 4 mm (1/8 to 1/6 inch) thick.
Place the rolled pastry over a flat tray and put in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 2 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave for about 5 minutes to slightly soften. Peel off the sheets of parchment paper and transfer into a 22 cm / 9-inch perforated tart ring (see note 2). Gently press the edges down to fit in the ring. Use your fingers to slide the pastry down the edge towards to create a 90 degrees angle (see note 3). Cut out any excess dough with a small sharp knife.
Loosely cover with baking paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Pistachio Pastry Cream

Place the Milk in a medium-size saucepan. Turn on medium low heat and bring to a simmer.
In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl until smooth. Add the cornstarch and whisk until no lumps remain.
Slowly pour the warm milk over the egg mixture while continuously whisking (see note 4). Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan then place back on the stove over a low heat.
Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes while continuously stirring. When you start to notice large bubbles starting to puff on top of the pastry cream, vigorously whisk for another 30 seconds then remove from the stove (see note 5).
Away from the stove, add the pistachio paste and whisk well until you get a smooth, shiny pistachio cream. Transfer into a clean large bowl or shallow pan like as a brownie pan. Cover the cream with plastic wrap touching its surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Par-baking the shell

While the pistachio cream is chilling and once the pastry has rested in the fridge, it is time to par-bake it.
Dock the pastry (prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork) and place in the freezer while you preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit. Blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottom of the tart crust looks mostly dry. Set aside to cool down.

Pistachio Sponge

While the shell is cooling down, prepare the sponge. You can keep the oven on 160 degree Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit.
Place the soft butter in a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until the butter is very soft and has turned slightly whiter. Add the icing sugar and mix until you get a thick, smooth paste.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully combined (see note 6), then mix in the finely ground pistachio to get a thick, coarse mixture.
Pour the sponge mixture into the par-baked (and cool) tart shell. Spread into an even layer using a small offset spatula. Top with raw pistachios.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (325 degrees Fahrenheit) or until the top of the sponge is golden brown. Set aside to cool down completely

Assembling the Tart

Take the pistachio cream out of the fridge and whisk it slightly to loosen it. Transfer into a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
Pipe the pastry cream over the sponge (see note 7). Use an offset spatula to create an even layer. To make a spiral pattern, place the tart on a cake turntable. Place the tip of the offset spatula in the centre of the tart and rotate the turntable, slowly moving the offset spatula towards the edges of the tart.
To finish, sprinkle some roughly chopped pistachios around the edges (see note 8). Optionally, finish with some lime zest.

Notes

Make sure to stop the mixer as soon as it comes together to avoid overworking the pastry.
If you don't have a tart ring, you can use a regular tart pan but they tend to be deeper than a tart ring. I recommend using a pan with removable bottom.
If the pastry cracks, simply patch it with your fingers (it is a very forgiving pastry). If it gets too soft and is hard to handle, place back in the fridge for a few minutes.
This step allows to "temper" the eggs and slowly bring their temperature up.
Make sure to stay on a low heat. If cooked too quickly or at a too high temperature, the egg yolks will start to curdle and create a lumpy cream. For the best results, use a kitchen thermometer and cook the cream to 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 183 degrees Fahrenheit).
If the eggs are too cold (or the butter was not creamed enough), you will notice that the mixture starts to split. Don't worry, it will come back together once you add the pistachios.
You can also simply place the cream over the tart using a regular spatula then spread it around if you don't want to use a pastry bag.
I used a slightly smaller pastry ring placed over the cream to get a neat ring pattern.

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