Description
Delight in these elegant mini raspberry pistachio tartlets featuring a buttery crust, luscious pistachio-infused pastry cream, and a delicate raspberry jam layer, topped with fresh raspberries, chopped white chocolate, and pistachios. Perfect for a sophisticated dessert that balances nutty richness with bright fruit flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pastry Cream
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp pistachio paste
- 3-4 drops green food coloring
For the Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 egg (separated)
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
For the Buttercream
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For Garnish
- Fresh raspberries
- Chopped white chocolate
- Chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Make the Pastry Cream: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Heat Dairy and Combine: In a small pot, gently heat the whole milk and heavy cream until almost boiling. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Thicken the Pastry Cream: Pour the combined mixture back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the cream thickens to a consistency like thick pudding.
- Chill: Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent skin formation, and refrigerate until fully chilled.
- Prepare the Crust: In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter cubes until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Make a well in the flour mixture, add the ice water and egg yolk (reserve the egg white), and mix by hand until the dough is just combined but not sticky. If too crumbly, gradually add heavy cream until pliable.
- Chill Dough: Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Roll and Shape: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Divide evenly into six tartlet pans (or one large tart pan), pressing the dough evenly on bottoms and sides. Prick bottoms with a fork.
- Blind Bake Prep: Line tartlet shells with foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Bake Tartlets: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake tartlets for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, spoon 1-2 tablespoons of raspberry jam into each shell, and brush crust sides with reserved egg white.
- Finish Baking: Return tartlets to the oven and bake for 10-12 more minutes until the crust is lightly golden but not browned. Let cool completely.
- Prepare Pistachio Cream: Whisk chilled pastry cream until smooth, then mix in pistachio paste and green food coloring until evenly combined and silky.
- Make Buttercream: In a medium bowl, beat softened butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream, mixing until light and fluffy.
- Combine Creams: Gently fold the buttercream into the pistachio pastry cream for a rich, smooth filling.
- Fill Tartlets: Divide the pistachio cream evenly among the chilled tartlet shells. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, ideally overnight, to set.
- Garnish and Serve: Just before serving, top each tartlet with fresh raspberries, chopped white chocolate, and pistachios. Serve chilled for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- You can substitute pistachio paste with finely ground pistachios blended with a little oil if unavailable.
- Make sure to chill the dough and pastry cream thoroughly to ensure the best texture and ease of handling.
- If you don’t have pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice can be used for blind baking.
- Adjust the amount of green food coloring according to your desired color intensity, or omit if preferred.
- These tartlets can be made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator for convenience.
