E-BOOK

CHOCOLATE TARTS
BY MAJA VASE

FORLAGET L ÆKKERIER
 E-BOOK

CHOCOLATE TARTS
BY MAJA VASE

FORLAGET L ÆKKERIER
6
7
 SEA BUCKTHORN - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LICORICE
I have a very special friend who always sends sunshine on my way. These dainty, tangy suns are dedicated to her.
They are made with a buttery, licorice spiced oat shortcrust, an unusually velvety white chocolate panna cotta, a delightfully
tart sea buckthorn jelly and radiating orange yellow marigold beams. Love you, S.
4-6 SMALL TARTS
EQUIPMENT
4-6 small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter)
OAT SHORTCRUST
WITH LICORICE
125 g oat flour
25 g almond flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 tsk raw licorice powder, preferably Lakrids
by Bülow
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add oat flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
raw licorice powder and salt to a food processor
and quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg
and blitz to combine. Roll the dough out thinly
between two sheets of baking paper and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake for about 15 minutes at 175C
until golden. Leave the tart shells to cool.
TIP: Oat flour contributes with a lovely flavour
and magically turns the tarts gluten free, but
can easily be replaced with all purpose flour.
8
CHOCOLATE LAYER SEA BUCKTHORN GELÉE
50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 1 leaf gelatine
from Valrhona 40 g sea buckthorn juice, preferably from Høstet
40 g sugar
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Brush the tart Soak the gelatine in cold water. Bring sea
shells with a thin layer of chocolate and quickly buckthorn juice and sugar to a simmer in a small
refrigerate until the chocolate has set. saucepan and remove from heat. Squeeze
excess water from the gelatine and dissolve in
TIP: The thin chocolate layer protects the the warm sea buckthorn syrup. Let cool until
buttery shortcrust against the deliciously smooth warm to the touch.
panna cotta.
Pour a thin layer of sea buckthorn syrup on
each tart and refrigerate until the gelée has set.
WHITE CHOCOLATE
PANNA COTTA
DECORATION
1 leaf gelatine
50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% orange marigolds
from Valrhona
100 ml heavy cream Decorate the tarts with marigold petals just
100 ml whole milk before serving.
1 pinch of salt
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Place the
chocolate in a bowl. Bring heavy cream, milk
and salt to a simmer and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with a
spatula. Squeeze the excess water from the
gelatine and dissolve in the warm chocolate
mixture. Emulsify with an immersion blender.
Fill the tart shells almost to the top with panna
cotta, and refrigerate for a few hours until the
panna cotta has set.
 RASPBERRY - THYME - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIME
Enchanting summer quartet of raspberries, thyme, white chocolate and lime. An unusually delicious flavour combination few have tasted,
but most will love. And don’t worry. I will not judge you if you drown the tart in the thyme scented crème anglaise. You will not be the only one.
6 SMALL TARTS
EQUIPMENT
6 small tart rings (8 1/2 cm diameter)
candy thermometer
THYME CRÈME ANGLAISE
40 g egg yolks
40 g sugar
80 ml heavy cream
80 ml whole milk
3 g young thyme sprigs
1 tsp sugar
Lightly whisk egg yolks and 40 g of sugar in a
bowl. Bring heavy cream and milk to a simmer
in a small saucepan and whisk into the egg
yolks. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan
and cook to 83C while whisking continuously.
Remove the saucepan from heat and strain
the custard. Grind the thyme sprigs and 1 tsp.
sugar with a mortar and pestle and mix into
the custard. Strain the custard and refrigerate
overnight.
HAPPINESS TIP: Prepare an extra large
portion of thyme crème anglaise and eat by
the spoonful.
10
PISTACHIO SHORTCRUST PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE
125 g flour 25 g pistachio flour
25 g pistachio flour 25 g almond flour
50 g icing sugar 50 g sugar
75 g cold butter 50 g softened butter
1 generous pinch of salt 1 pinch salt
1
/2 egg 1 egg
Add flour, pistachio flour, icing sugar, butter Place pistachio flour, almond flour, sugar,
and salt to a food processor and quickly blitz to butter and salt in a bowl and beat until light
combine. Add the egg and blitz to combine. and airy, Beat in the egg. Divide the frangipane
Roll the dough out thinly between two sheets of in the warm tart shells and even the surface
baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. with an offset spatula. Bake the tarts for another
10 minutes, until light golden brown. Let the tarts
Line small tart rings (8 1/2 cm diameter) with the cool completely.
dough and bake the shells for about 10 minutes
at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.
TIP: I make my own pistachio flour by toasting
green, unsalted pistachios for 3-5 minutes at
200C, letting them cool and then quickly grinding
them in a mini grinder.
RASPBERRY COMPOTE
20 g sugar
2 g pectin
60 g raspberry purée
Mix sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Warm up
raspberry purée and lemon juice to 40C and
whisk in the pectin sugar. Bring the raspberry
purée to a boil and leave to simmer for a few
minutes. Remove from the heat and let the
compote cool a little. Spread a thin layer of
compote over the frangipane and place the tarts
in the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache.
WHITE CHOCOLATE
GANACHE WITH THYME
200 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
50 ml lime juice
50 ml heavy cream
3 g young thyme sprigs
1 tsp sugar
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the lime
juice and heavy cream to a simmer in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Grind the
thyme sprigs and 1 tsp. sugar with a mortar
and mix into the ganache. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Pour the ganache over the
raspberry compote and refrigerate for at least
1 hour, until the ganache has set.
CHOCOLATE RIBBON
100 g Inspiration Raspberry from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Spread a small
amount of the tempered chocolate onto long,
narrow pieces of acetate (27 x 2 cm), lift the
acetate off the table and let the chocolate set a
little. Place the acetate around small tart rings
(8 1/2 cm diameter) and quickly refrigerate until
the chocolate has set.
DECORATION
fresh raspberries
Tender thyme sprigs
Place the chocolate ribbons around the tarts
and decorate with raspberry halves and thyme
sprigs just before serving. Serve with a small
jug of crème anglaise on the side.
TIP: Avoid stressing and prepare all elements
– except the ganache – the day before serving.
13
REDCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LEMON
Redcurrant is a brilliant, but all too rare star in tarts. Such a shame. The little, red berry with the terrific, tangy personality
especially shines when combined with mild, white chocolate. Here, you’ll find it in both ganache, mousse and gelée - it is
even dancing precariously on the edge of the pale pink chocolate ribbon.

6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tall tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter, 3 1/2 cm tall)
round silicone mould (10 cm diameter)
round silicone mould (11 1/2 cm diameter)

FIRST REDCURRANT MOUSSE REDCURRANT GELÉE SECOND REDCURRANT

/2 leaf of gelatine
1 1
100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 30 g redcurrant purée
from Valrhona
50 g redcurrant purée
100 ml heavy cream
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Melt the chocolate
over a bain-marie and remove the bowl from the
heat. In a small saucepan, bring the redcurrant
purée to a boil and remove from the heat.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and
stir it into the warm redcurrant purée. Pour
the redcurrant purée into the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until it comes together. Emulsify
with an immersion blender.
In a large bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.
Fold a third of the whipped cream into the
chocolate, then carefully fold in the rest. Pour
60 g of redcurrant mousse into a round silicone
mould (10 cm diameter) and freeze while you
prepare the gelée.
/2 leaf of gelatine
10 g sugar
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Bring redcurrant
purée and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan
and remove from heat. Squeeze excess water
from the gelatine and dissolve in the redcurrant
purée. Let cool until warm to the touch.
Carefully pour 15 g of redcurrant purée onto
the frozen redcurrant mousse, and freeze it for
5-10 minutes until the gelée has set. Repeat
with another 60 g of redcurrant mousse and
15 g of redcurrant gelée. Put the mould back
in the freezer for at least 3 hours until every
layer is completely frozen.
TIP: Ensure that every mousse and gelée layer
is completely frozen before assembling, so you
end up with a perfect slice..
MOUSSE
1
/2 leaf of gelatine
100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
50 g redcurrant purée
100 ml heavy cream
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Melt the chocolate
over a bain-marie and remove the bowl from the
heat. In a small saucepan, bring the redcurrant
purée to a boil and remove from the heat.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and
stir it into the warm redcurrant purée. Pour
the redcurrant purée into the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until it comes together. Emulsify
with an immersion blender.
In a large bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.
Fold a third of the whipped cream into the
chocolate, then carefully fold in the rest. Pour
the redcurrant mousse into a round silicone
mould (11 1/2 cm diameter) and press down
the frozen inset with the gelée facing upwards.
Freeze overnight.

15
 SHORTCRUST ALMOND FRANGIPANE
125 g flour 50 g almond flour
25 g almond flour 50 g sugar
50 g icing sugar 50 g soft butter
75 g cold butter 1 pinch of salt
finely grated lemon zest 1 egg
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
In a bowl, beat almond flour, sugar, butter
and salt until light and creamy. Stir in the egg.
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter, Transfer the frangipane to the warm tart shell
lemon zest and salt to a food processor and and level the surface with an offset spatula.
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz Bake the tart an additional 20 minutes at 175C
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between until golden. Leave to cool.
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line a tall tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter, 3 1/2 cm tall) REDCURRANT GANACHE
with the dough and bake for about 10 minutes
at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane. 120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35 % redcurrant
from Valrhona
40 g redcurrant purée
40 ml heavy cream
5 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring redcurrant
purée, heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in
a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with
a spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache
comes together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Pour the
ganache on top of the frangipane in the tart
shell, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until
the ganache has set.
16
CURVED CHOCOLATE RIBBON
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
pink food colouring powder
Melt and temper the chocolate, and stir in the
food colouring powder. Spread some of the
chocolate on a triangular piece of acetate
(40 x 6 cm), lift the acetate off the table and
let the chocolate set a little. Wrap the acetate
around a tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter) and
quickly refrigerate the finished ribbon until the
chocolate has set.
ASSEMBLY AND DECORATION
pink ice begonias
Place the frozen redcurrant mousse on top
of the tart and let it thaw in the refrigerator.
Carefully bring the chocolate ribbon over the
tart, and decorate with redcurrants and ice
begonias just before serving.
TIP: If the ice begonias don’t want to stay on
the chocolate ribbon, you can help them along
with a little glucose syrup.
TIP: To win time, you can leave out the two
gelée layers and the first redcurrant mousse.
Or postpone the party.
 PEANUT - CARAMEL - SALT
The recipe for Saturday joy: 326 salted peanuts, caramel chocolate, and a generous portion of gold dust.
The protagonist of the tart, Mr. Peanut, plays both roasted, caramelised, ground, liquid and gold-plated
versions of himself.

6 - 8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter)
blowtorch

PEANUT SHORTCRUST PEANUT FRANGIPANE PEANUT PRALINÉ

125 g flour 50 g peanut flour 50 g sugar

25 g peanut flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
/2 egg
1
Add flour, peanut flour, icing sugar and butter
to a food processor and quickly blitz to combine.
Add the egg and blitz to combine. Roll the
dough out thinly between two sheets of baking
paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
50 g sugar
50 g softened butter
1 egg
Place peanut flour, sugar and butter in a bowl
and beat until light and airy. Beat in the egg.
Pour the frangipane into the warm tart shell
and level the surface with an offset spatula.
Bake the tart for about 20 minutes until golden.
Leave to cool.
50 g salted peanuts
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel in
a saucepan, immediately remove from the heat
and stir in the peanuts. Pour the caramelised
peanuts onto a sheet of baking paper and
leave to cool. Grind the caramelised peanuts
to praliné in a durable mini grinder. Spread
50 g of praliné on the frangipane, and use the
remaining 50 g for the ganache.

Line a tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter) with the

dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.

TIP: Make your own peanut flour by grinding

salted peanuts in a mini grinder. But just for a
second, or you’ll make peanut butter instead.

18
 CARAMEL GANACHE WITH
PEANUT PRALINÉ
100 g caramel chocolate, preferably Dulcey 32%
from Valrhona
50 g peanut praliné
80 ml heavy cream
Melt chocolate and praliné over a bain-marie
and remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the
heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan
and pour over the chocolate, while stirring in
the middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with
a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Pour the ganache onto the
peanut praliné in the tart shell and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours, until the ganache has set.
CHOCOLATE LID
100 g caramel chocolate, preferably Dulcey 32% salted peanuts
from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Roll out some
of the chocolate between two acetate sheets,
and quickly refrigerate until the chocolate
has set. Cut out a disc using a warm tart ring
(18 1/2 cm diameter).
DECORATION
edible gold dust
edible gold leaf
Cover the tart in a pattern of peanuts and
place the chocolate lid on top. Carefully melt
the chocolate lid with a blowtorch. Refrigerate
for a moment, until the chocolate has set again.
Paint the chocolate lid with gold dust and
decorate with gold leaf.

20
 PEACH - RASPBERRY - TONKA
This tart has never been anywhere near canned peaches or custard powder. In return it offers juicy, sunkissed peaches,
ruby red raspberries and a velvety soft and interesting tonka scented white chocolate cream. An irresistible, untamed
peach melba masterpiece.

4 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (12 1/ cm diameter)

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM TONKA SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE LAYER

WITH TONKA
125 g flour 50 g Inspiration Raspberry from Valrhona
/2 leaf gelatine
1
25 g almond flour
50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35 % 50 g icing sugar Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
from Valrhona 75 g cold butter remove the bowl from the heat. Brush the tart
100 ml heavy cream a pinch of finely grated tonka bean shell with a thin layer of chocolate and quickly
a pinch of finely grated tonka bean 1 pinch of salt refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
/2 egg
1

Soak the gelatine in cold water. Place the

chocolate in a bowl. Bring heavy cream and
tonka bean to a simmer and remove from heat.
Pour over the chocolate, while stirring in the
middle of the bowl with a spatula. Squeeze the
excess water from the gelatine and dissolve in
the warm chocolate mixture. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Leave the cream to cool
and place it in the fridge overnight.
TIP: Tonka bean has a wonderful but also very
strong flavor, so make sure to add only a little at
a time and season to taste.
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
tonka bean and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line a tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake the tart shell for about
15 minutes at 175C. Leave the tart shells to cool

22
PEACH COMPOTE
20 g sugar
1 1/2 g pectin
35 g peach purée
5 ml lemon juice
100 g diced peach
Mix sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Warm
peach purée and lemon juice to 40C and whisk
in the pectin sugar. Bring the peach purée to
a boil and leave to simmer for a few minutes.
Remove from heat and fold in the peach cubes.
Let the compote cool a little and spread it over
the tart shell. Place the tart in the refrigerator
while you prepare the decorations.
CHOCOLATE RIBBON
100 g Inspiration Raspberry from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Spread a small
amount of the tempered chocolate onto a long,
narrow piece of acetate (40 x 2 cm), lift the
acetate off the table and let the chocolate set
a little. Place the acetate around a tart ring
(12 1/2 cm diameter) and quickly refrigerate until
the chocolate has set.
DECORATION
fresh peaches
fresh raspberries
yellow wood sorrel flowers
Whisk the chocolate cream to very soft peaks,
add to a piping bag with a big, round piping tip
and pipe onto the peach compote. Place the
chocolate ribbon around the tart and decorate
with peach slices, raspberry halves and wood
sorrel flowers just before serving.
TIP: If a tart for four is not quite enough, bake
the shortcrust in an 18 1/2 cm tart ring and make
double portions of the cream and compote.
25
 BLACKBERRY - MILK CHOCOLATE
A small, delicate dessert tart with chewy milk chocolate brownie, silky blackberry ganache and a quirky asymmetric look,
which I am thrilled about. One half of the tart is hidden by carefully placed wood sorrel leaves. The other, behind small,
tart blackberry caviar that almost explodes in the mouth. Fortunately both are for you.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
6 small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST MILK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE BLACKBERRY GANACHE

120 g flour
20 g almond flour
10 g unsweetened cocoa powder
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake the shells for about 10 minutes
at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the brownie.
60 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
from Valrhona
30 g butter
1 egg
60 g sugar
15 g flour
1 pinch of sea salt flakes
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie
and remove the bowl from the heat. Lightly
whisk the egg and sugar together and stir in
the chocolate mixture. Fold in flour and salt.
Fill the warm tart shells halfway with the batter
and bake for another 10 minutes.
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
40 g blackberry purée
35 ml heavy cream
5 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring blackberry
purée, heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in
a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with a
spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache comes
together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Pour the
ganache over the milk chocolate brownies and
refrigerate the tarts for at least 1 hour, until the
ganache has set.

26
BLACKBERRY CAVIAR CHOCOLATE STRAWS DECORATION

300 ml neutral oil
2 leaves gelatine
50 g blackberry purée
10 g sugar
Pour the oil into a narrow, tall container and
freeze for about 2 hours, until ice cold, but not
frozen solid. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
Bring blackberry purée and sugar to a boil
in a small saucepan and remove from heat.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and
dissolve in the warm blackberry purée. Let cool
until warm to the touch.
100 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40% Cut a blackberry tart in half and decorate one
from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour the
chocolate into a freezer bag with a small hole
in one corner. Pipe long straws onto a piece
of chocolate acetate with a steady hand.
Refrigerate the chocolate straws until they
have set.
half with blackberry caviar and chocolate straw
and the other half with wood sorrel petals. Place
the two halves offset on a dessert plate. Repeat
with the remaining tarts.
TIP: Are you not as delighted with decorating as
I am, place the blackberry caviar and wood sorrel
leaves randomly on the tarts and let the beautiful,
bordeaux blackberry ganache show off.

Pour the blackberry purée into a piping bag with

a small hole in the tip and drip one drop at a
time into the ice cold oil. Leave the blackberry
caviar in the oil until ready to use.

TIP: Just before plating, rinse the blackberry

caviar in plenty of ice cold water until all oil
is removed.

29
 LIME - BASIL - WHITE CHOCOLATE
Quadratic, edgy and silky lime tart in pale green colours. I have not been stingy with neither basil
leaves nor lime juice. Not even with plump tops. 10/10.

4-6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
4-6 small, square tart rings (7 x 7 cm)

PISTACHIO SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE LAYER LIME CUSTARD WITH BASIL

125 g flour 50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 1 leaf of gelatine

25 g pistachio flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 generous pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, pistachio flour, icing sugar, butter
and salt to a food processor and quickly blitz
to combine. Add the egg and blitz to combine.
Roll the dough out thinly between two sheets of
baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line small, square tart rings (7 x 7 cm) with the
dough and bake the shells for about 15 minutes
at 175C until golden.
TIP: I make my own pistachio flour by toasting
green, unsalted pistachios for 3-5 minutes at
200C, letting them cool and then quickly grinding
them in a mini grinder.
from Valrhona
1
/2 light green food colouring powder
Melt and temper the chocolate and stir in the
food colouring powder. Brush the tart shells with
a thin layer of chocolate and quickly refrigerate
until the chocolate has set.
TIP: The thin layer of chocolate shields the
flaky shortcrust from the soft, moist lime custard.
150 ml lime juice
200 g sugar
150 ml water
35 g cornstarch
50 g egg yolks
5 g fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Soak the gelatine in cold water. In a small
saucepan, bring lime juice, 200 g sugar,
water and cornstarch to a boil, and let it simmer
for 1-2 minutes while stirring constantly, until
it is thick and transparent. Lightly stir the egg
yolks in a bowl, and carefully whisk in the warm
lime custard. Squeeze excess water from the
gelatine and stir it into the warm custard. Grind
the basil leaves and 1 teaspoon sugar with a
mortar and pestle and mix into the custard.
Refrigerate overnight.

30
32
BASIL WHITE CHOCOLATE
CREMEUX

/2 leaf of gelatine
1

140 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%

from Valrhona
40 g egg yolks
15 g sugar
80 ml heavy cream
80 ml whole milk
5 g fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar

Soak the gelatine in cold water. Melt the chocolate

in a bowl over a bain-marie and remove from
the heat. In another bowl, lightly whisk sugar
and egg yolks. In a small saucepan, bring the
heavy cream almost to a simmer. Gradually
whisk the cream into the egg yolks. Return the
mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat
until the custard thickens and reaches 83C.
Immediately remove it from the heat and strain
the custard.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and stir
it into the warm custard. Pour the custard over the
chocolate, while stirring in the middle of the bowl
with a spatula. Continue to stir until the cremeux
comes together. Grind the basil leaves and
1 teaspoon sugar with a mortar and pestle and
mix into the cremeux. Emulsify with an immersion
blender. Transfer the cremeux to a piping bag
with a round tip and refrigerate overnight.
CHOCOLATE SQUARES
100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% fresh basil leaves
from Valrhona
light green food colouring powder
Melt and temper the chocolate and stir in the
food colouring. Roll out some of the chocolate
between two acetate sheets, and quickly
refrigerate until the chocolate has set. Cut out
small squares (7 x 7 cm) with a warm knife,
and cut a corner off each square..
ASSEMBLY AND DECORATION
purple basil flowers
Pour the lime custard into a tart shell and level
the surface with an offset spatula. Pipe small
tops of chocolate cremeux onto the lime custard
and finish with a chocolate square. Repeat with
the rest of the tarts. Decorate with basil leaves
and flowers just before serving.
TIP: None of the elements mind if you want
to prepare them one day in advance, but they
don’t want to meet each other until just before
the tart is served.

33
BLACKBERRY - MILK CHOCOLATE - HAZELNUT
My great love of Azélia is impossible to hide. I am head over heels with the creamy, hazelnut sweet milk chocolate
from Valrhona - especially paired with self picked blackberries from Amager Fælled and plump hazelnuts from Piemonte.
Just a single bite and you will understand.

8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
square tart ring (17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm)

COCOA BISCUIT BASE CHOCOLATE LAYER MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

15 g sugar
15 g roasted hazelnuts
150 g oat biscuits
10 g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 generous pinch of sea salt flakes
75 g butter
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel in
a saucepan, immediately remove from the heat
and stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the caramelised
hazelnuts onto a sheet of baking paper and
leave to cool. Finely chop.
Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a grinder.
Combine biscuit crumbs, cocoa powder, finely
chopped caramelised hazelnuts and salt in a
bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and
stir into the biscuit mixture. Use your fingers to
firmly press the mixture into square tart ringsl
(17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm). Refrigerate the biscuit base,
while you prepare the chocolate layer.
30 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Brush the biscuit
base with a thin layer of chocolate and quickly
refrigerate while you prepare the ganache.
WITH HAZELNUT
80 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona
120 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the heavy
cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and
pour over the chocolate, while stirring in the
middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with
a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Pour the ganache into the
biscuit base and refrigerate for at least two
hours, until the ganache has set.

35
 BLACKBERRY GANACHE CHOCOLATE STRAWS DECORATION

180 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 100 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona red wood sorrel
from Valrhona
60 g blackberry purée Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour the choc- Decorate the tart with chocolate straws and
50 ml heavy cream olate into a freezer bag with a small hole in one wood sorrel petals just before serving.
10 ml lemon juice corner. With a steady hand pipe long straws
onto a piece of chocolate acetate Refrigerate TIP: This tart tastes incredible even on day 5
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and the chocolate straws until they have set. - if you can resist it for that long.
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring black-
berry purée, heavy cream and lemon juice to
a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the
chocolate, while stirring in the middle of the
bowl with a spatula. Continue to stir until the
ganache comes together with a beautifully
glossy surface. Emulsify with an immersion
blender. Pour the ganache into the biscuit base
and refrigerate for at least two hours, until the
ganache has set.

36
COCONUT - DARK CHOCOLATE
Coconut and dark chocolate. A very happy marriage according to my bounty-loving husband.
This tart is for him.

6-8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST COCONUT FILLING CHOCOLATE RIBBON

WITH COCONUT
120 g flour 75 g shredded coconut
15 g almond flour 75 g condensed coconut milk 100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
15 g unsweetened cocoa 1 pinch of salt from Valrhona
50 g icing sugar Shredded coconut
75 g cold butter Coarsely chop the shredded coconut and stir Glucose syrup
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean together with condensed coconut milk and salt
1 generous pinch of salt in a bowl. Spread out the coconut filling in the Melt and temper the chocolate. Spread a small
/2 egg
1
tart shell and even the surface with an offset amount of the tempered chocolate onto a long,
spatula. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the narrow piece of acetate (59 x 2 cm), lift the
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing coconut filling has set. acetate off the table and let the chocolate set
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and a little. Place the acetate around a tart ring
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz TIP: If you can’t find condensed coconut (18 1/2 cm diameter) and quickly refrigerate until
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between milk it can easily be replaced with regular the chocolate has set.
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for condensed milk.
at least 1 hour. Coarsely chop the shredded coconut and
carefully glue onto the chocolate ribbon with a
Line a tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter) with the little glucose syrup. Place the chocolate ribbon
dough and bake the shells for about 15 minutes DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE around the tart just before serving.
at 175C. Let the tart cool completely.
100 g dark chocolate, preferably Manjari 64%
from Valrhona
120 ml heavy cream
10 g glucose syrup

Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and

remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the heavy
cream and glucose syrup to a simmer in a
small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with
a spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache
comes together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Pour the
over the coconut filling and refrigerate the tart
for at least 2 hours, until the ganache has set.

39
 BLUEBERRY - DARK CHOCOLATE
Wonderful, gravity defying wild blueberry which fascinates with a pretty, purple palette. The tart itself is a simple
construction of chocolate painted shortcrust rings, fruity blueberry ganache, chewy, dried blueberries and colourful
cornflowers dancing in a circle.

4 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
round cookie cutter (7 1/2 cm diameter)
round cookie cutter (11 cm diameter)
’air mat’ silicone mat

COCOA SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE LAYER BLUEBERRY GANACHE

AND STRAWS
120 g flour 200 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
15 g almond flour 100 g dark chocolate, preferably Manjari 64% from Valrhona
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder from Valrhona 40 g blueberry purée
50 g icing sugar 80 ml heavy cream
75 g cold butter Melt and temper the chocolate. Brush one side
1 pinch of salt of the tart rings with a thin layer of tempered Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
/2 egg
1
chocolate and quickly refrigerate until the remove the bowl from the heat. Bring blueberry
chocolate has set. purée and heavy cream to a simmer in a small
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and Pour the remaining chocolate into a freezer bag stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz with a small hole in one corner. With a steady Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between hand, pipe long straws onto a piece of chocolate with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for acetate. Refrigerate the chocolate straws until an immersion blender. Transfer the ganache to
at least 1 hour. they have set. a piping bag with a big, round piping tip and
refrigerate for at least 2 hours until it has set.
Cut out 8 rings of the dough with round cookie
cutters (7 1/2 and 11 cm diameter), and bake for TIP: I use wild, swedish blueberries for the
about 10 minutes at 175C. Leave the tart shells tarts, as they add the most wonderful taste
to cool. and colour.

TIP: I bake my shortcrust rings on an ‘air mat’

silicone mat, which ensures even heating and
leaves the prettiest pattern. Standard baking
paper works too.

40
ASSEMBLY AND DECORATION

dried blueberries
cornflowers

Pipe a ring of ganache on the chocolate

brushed side of a shortcrust ring. Press a little
dried blueberries into the ganache ring, and
finish with another shortcrust ring. Repeat.

Place the tarts vertically and decorate

with chocolate straws and cornflowers just
before serving.

TIP: Use a little glucose syrup to stick the

cornflowers to the chocolate straws.
 COFFEE - MILK CHOCOLATE - HAZELNUT
Charming chocolate tart treated with my favourite chocolate from Valrhona and my favourite coffee beans from the tiny
Danish roastery La Cabra. The tart is simply built, with an extra crisp coffee cocoa biscuit base topped with an unusually silky
milk chocolate ganache with delicate coffee notes. Sometimes, happiness is light brown.
4-6 PEOPLE
EQUIPMENT
tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter)
COCOA BISCUIT BASE
100 g oat biscuits
5 g unsweetened cocoa powder
15 g corn flakes
1 g finely ground coffee
1 generous pinch of sea salt flakes
50 g butter
Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a grinder.
Combine biscuit crumbs, cocoa powder, corn
flakes, coffee and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter
in a small saucepan and stir into the biscuit
mixture. Use your fingers to firmly press the
mixture into a tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter).
Refrigerate the biscuit base while you prepare
the chocolate layer.
44
CHOCOLATE LAYER
30 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Brush the biscuit
base with a thin layer of chocolate and quickly
refrigerate while you prepare the ganache.
MILK CHOCOLATE COFFEE
GANACHE
160 ml heavy cream
10 g coffee beans
240 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona
2 g finely ground coffee
Bring the heavy cream and coffee beans to a
simmer in a small saucepan and remove from
the heat. Leave to infuse for about 10 minutes
with the lid on, then strain and discard the
coffee beans.
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Pour the warm
coffee cream over the chocolate, while stirring
in the middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with a
beautifully glossy surface. Stir in ground coffee
beans and emulsify with an immersion blender.
Pour the ganache into the biscuit base and
refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the ganache
has set.
CHOCOLATE TWIGS
100 g Azélia 35% from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour the
chocolate into a freezer bag with a small hole
in one corner and pipe delicate waves onto
a piece of chocolate acetate. Refrigerate the
chocolate twigs until they have set.
DECORATION
chocolate pearls
coffee beans
Decorate with chocolate twigs, chocolate
pearls and coffee beans just before serving.
TIP: Let the tart temper for 10-15 minutes
before you dig in - it really brings out the taste.
TIP: The tart keeps very well in the fridge for
many days. If allowed to do so.
47
 PASSION FRUIT - WHITE CHOCOLATE
Pastel yellow and tantalisingly tangy passion fruit artwork with a sea of dancing wood sorrel flowers. Five lucky
layers of flaky, moist, crunchy and soft. A playful pie that will fully satisfy four - or one very dedicated passion fruit fan.

4 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter)

SHORTCRUST ALMOND FRANGIPANE PASSION FRUIT COMPOTE

125 g flour 25 g almond flour 25 g sugar

25 g almond flour 25 g sugar 2 g pectin
50 g icing sugar 25 g soft butter 50 g passion fruit purée
75 g cold butter 1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of salt 1
/2 egg Mix sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Warm up
/2 egg
1
the passion fruit purée to 40C and whisk in the
In a bowl, beat almond flour, sugar, butter and pectin sugar. Bring the passion fruit purée to
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter and salt until light and creamy. Stir in the egg. a boil and leave to simmer for a few minutes.
salt to a food processor and quickly blitz to Transfer the frangipane to the warm tart shell Remove from the heat and let the compote cool
combine. Add the egg and blitz to combine. and level the surface with an offset spatula. a little. Spread a thin layer of compote on the
Roll the dough out thinly between two sheets of Bake the tart for an additional 15 minutes at frangipane and refrigerate while you prepare
baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 175C until golden. Leave to cool. the ganache.

Line a tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter) with the

dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.

48
 PASSION FRUIT GANACHE
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 100 g Inspiration Passion from Valrhona
from Valrhona
40 g passion fruit purée
40 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring passion
fruit purée and heavy cream to a boil in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender. Pour the ganache onto
the passion fruit compote and refrigerate for
at least 2 hours, until the ganache has set.
50
CHOCOLATE LID
Melt and temper the chocolate. Roll out some
of the chocolate between two acetate sheets,
and quickly refrigerate until the chocolate has
set. Cut out a circle using a warm tart ring
(12 1/2 cm diameter) and make tiny holes in the
circle with a warm needle.
DECORATION
white chocolate pearls
yellow wood sorrel flowers
Place the chocolate lid on top of the tart
balanced on chocolate pearls, and place
wood sorrel flowers in the tiny holes in the lid.
TIP: The delightfully tangy Inspiration
Passion may in extraordinary circumstances
be substituted by a yellow-coloured
white chocolate.
52
53
 STRAWBERRY - VANILLA - BLACK PEPPER
Homemade strawberry tart makes my heart sing. Especially if it offers a mountain of sweet, sunkissed strawberries, wonderful dots
of vanilla and a daring hint of black pepper. Are you game?

4-6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter)

WHITE CHOCOLATE VANILLA SHORTCRUST VANILLA FRANGIPANE

CREAM WITH VANILLA
AND BLACK PEPPER 125 g flour 50 g almond flour
25 g almond flour 50 g sugar
/2 leaf gelatine
1
50 g icing sugar 50 g softened butter
50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 75 g cold butter seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
from Valrhona seeds of /2 vanilla bean
1
1 pinch of salt
100 ml heavy cream 1 generous pinch of salt 1 egg
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean /2 egg
1

10 black peppercorn Place almond flour, sugar, butter, vanilla seeds

Soak the gelatine in cold water. Place the
chocolate in a bowl. Bring heavy cream, vanilla
seeds and peppercorns to a simmer and
remove from heat. Remove the peppercorn.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine
and dissolve in the warm chocolate mixture.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Leave the
cream to cool and refrigerate overnight.
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
vanilla seeds and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line a tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake the tart shells for about
10 minutes at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare
the frangipane.
and salt in a bowl and beat until light and airy,
Beat in the egg. Spread out the frangipane in
the warm tart shell and even out the surface
with an offset spatula. Bake the tart for another
15 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Let the
tart cool completely.

TIP: Please taste the chocolate cream along

the way to make sure that both the taste of vanilla
and peppercorn stand out.

54
STRAWBERRY COMPOTE CHOCOLATE RIBBON DECORATION
WITH BLACK PEPPER
100 g Inspiration Strawberry from Valrhona fresh strawberries
20 g sugar purple lilacs
2 g pectin Melt and temper the chocolate. Spread a small purple pansies
50 g strawberry purée amount of the tempered chocolate onto a long,
10 ml lemon juice narrow piece of acetate (49 x 2 cm), lift the Whip the chocolate cream to very soft peaks,
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean acetate off the table and let the chocolate set place in a piping bag with a large, round piping
20 black peppercorn a little. Place the acetate around a tart ring tip and pipe on top of the strawberry compote.
(15 1/2 cm diameter) and quickly refrigerate until Place the chocolate ribbon around the tart and
Mix sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Warm up the chocolate has set. decorate with strawberries, lilacs and pansies
strawberry purée, lemon juice, vanilla seeds and just before serving.
peppercorn to 40C and whisk in the pectin sugar.
Bring the strawberry purée to a boil and leave
to simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat,
discard the peppercorns and let the compote
cool a little. Spread a thin layer of compote over
the frangipane and place the tart in the refrigerator
while you prepare the decorations.

57
VANILLA - KEFIR - WHITE CHOCOLATE
The Danish summer classic, ‘Koldskål’, in a spring coloured and square interpretation. With a large lick of lemon,
at least a million vanilla dots and forget-me-nots daintily embracing the tart. To be eaten on a sunny day!

8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
square silicone mould (13 1/2 x 13 1/2 cm)
square tart ring (17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm)

KEFIR MOUSSE VANILLA SHORTCRUST VANILLA FRANGIPANE

2 leaves of gelatine 125 g flour 50 g almond flour

30 ml lemon juice 25 g almond flour 50 g sugar
30 g sugar 50 g icing sugar 50 g soft butter
seeds of 1 vanilla bean 75 g cold butter seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
130 ml heavy cream seeds of /2 vanilla bean
1
finely grated lemon zest
100 ml kefir finely grated lemon zest 1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of salt 1 egg
Soak the gelatine in cold water. In a small /2 egg
1

saucepan, bring lemon juice, sugar and vanilla
seeds to a boil and remove from heat. Squeeze
excess water from the gelatine and stir it into
the warm lemon syrup. Leave to cool until
lukewarm. In a large bowl, whip the cream to
soft peaks. Stir the kefir into the lemon syrup
and gently fold in the whipped cream.
Transfer the mousse into a square silicone
mould (13 1/2 x 13 1/2 cm), and freeze overnight.
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
vanilla seeds, lemon zest and salt to a food
processor and quickly blitz to combine. Add the
egg and blitz to combine. Roll the dough out
thinly between two sheets of baking paper and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line a square tart ring (17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm) with
the dough and bake for about 10 minutes at
175C. Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.
In a bowl, beat almond flour, sugar, butter,
vanilla seeds, lemon zest and salt until light and
creamy. Stir in the egg. Transfer the frangipane
to the warm tart shell and level the surface with
a spatula. Bake the tart an additional 15 minutes
at 175C until golden. Leave to cool.

59
 KEFIR GANACHE
240 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% forget-me-nots
from Valrhona
80 ml heavy cream
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
60 ml kefir
20 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring cream
and vanilla seeds to a boil in a small saucepan
and pour over the chocolate, while stirring in
the middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with a
beautifully glossy surface. Stir in kefir and lemon
juice. Emulsify with an immersion blender.
Pour the ganache on to the frangipane and
refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the ganache
has set.
60
CHOCOLATE FLAKE
from Valrhona
seeds of 1/3 vanilla bean
Melt and temper the chocolate and stir in the
vanilla seeds. Roll out the chocolate between
two acetate sheets, and quickly refrigerate until
the chocolate has set. Break a large flake out of
the chocolate.
ASSEMBLY AND DECORATION
white chocolate pearls
Place the frozen kefir mousse on top of the
tart and leave to thaw in the refrigerator. Place
the chocolate flake on top of the kefir mousse
balanced on chocolate pearls and decorate
with forget-me-nots just before serving.
TIP: If you can find strawberries that are both
red and sweet, the tart wouldn’t mind being
buried under a mountain of them.
61
 BLACKCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIQUORICE
The Liquorice Molecule. The Blackcurrant Snake. This beloved tart is known by many names. Behind the intriguing, deep red
exterior hides a provocative pitch black core of liquid liquorice caramel. A mind-boggling explosion of blackcurrant and liquorice.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
round cookie cutter (3 cm diameter)
’air mat’ silicone mat
big, round piping tip (12 mm diameter)

LIQUORICE SHORTCRUST BLACKCURRANT GANACHE LIQUORICE CARAMEL

125 g flour 150 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 50 ml heavy cream
25 g almond flour from Valrhona 25 g butter
50 g icing sugar 50 g blackcurrant purée 75 g glucose syrup
75 g cold butter 45 ml heavy cream 1 teaspoon raw liquorice powder
1 teaspoon raw liquorice powder 5 ml lemon juice 1 pinch of salt
/2 teaspoon active coal powder
1
75 g sugar
1 pinch of salt Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove /3 teaspoon active coal powder
1

/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
liquorice powder, coal powder and salt to a
food processor and quickly blitz to combine.
Add the egg and blitz to combine. Roll the
dough out thinly between two sheets of baking
paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Cut out 30 small discs (3 cm diameter) using
a round cookie cutter. Place 5 discs to form a
squiggle with the edges overlapping, and press
the joints flat. Repeat with the remaining discs.
Bake the squiggles for about 10 minutes at
175C, and leave to cool completely.
the bowl from the heat. Bring blackcurrant purée,
heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender. Transfer the ganache to
a piping bag with a big, round piping tip
(12 mm diameter) and refrigerate for at least
2 hours until it has set.
. you may end up with a lumpy caramel!
In a small saucepan, bring cream, butter,
glucose syrup, liquorice powder and salt to a
simmer. In another saucepan, carefully melt the
sugar until it is golden and immediately remove
from the heat. Gradually pour in the warm
liquorice cream while whisking vigorously. Add
the coal powder and leave to cool completely.
TIP: Make sure the liquorice cream is very
hot when it meets the caramelized sugar, or

TIP: I bake my shortcrust squiggles on an ‘air

mat’ silicone mat, which ensures even heating
and leaves the prettiest pattern. Standard
baking paper works too.

TIP: Active coal powder can be substituted

by black food colouring.

62
CHOCOLATE DISCS
100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% freeze-dried blackcurrant dust
from Valrhona
bordeaux food colouring powder
Melt and temper the chocolate and stir in the
food colouring. Roll out some of the chocolate
between two acetate sheets, and quickly
refrigerate until the chocolate has set. Cut out
30 small discs using a warm, round cookie
cutter (3 cm diameter).
ASSEMBLY AND DECORATION
raw liquorice powder
red wood sorrel
Pipe 5 rings of ganache onto a shortcrust
squiggle and fill up the rings with liquorice
caramel. Place 5 chocolate discs on top.
Using a sieve, sprinkle blackcurrant dust and
liquorice powder onto a plate, and place the
blackcurrant tart on top. Decorate with wood
sorrel leaves. Repeat with the remaining tarts.
65
 LEMON - WHITE CHOCOLATE - BASTOGNE
Cheekily delicious and francophile tart. Six razor sharp layers of cinnamon spiced biscuits, provocatively sour lemon compote
and silky smooth lemon ganache finished off with mini macarons so tiny they can almost drift away. Oh là là!
8 PEOPLE
EQUIPMENT
tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter)
tart ring (20 1/2 cm diameter)
BISCUIT BASE
200 g Bastogne-biscuits
100 g butter
Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a grinder and
place them in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small
saucepan and stir into the biscuit crumbs. Use
your fingers to firmly press the 2/3 of the mixture
into a tart ring (20 1/2 cm diameter). Refrigerate
the biscuit base.
Roll out the remaining biscuit mixture between
two pieces of baking paper and place in the
refrigerator. Cut out a disc of biscuit with a tart
ring (18 1/2 cm diameter) and refrigerate while
you prepare the lemon compote.
68
LEMON COMPOTE
25 g sugar
2 g pectin
50 ml lemon juice
Mix sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Warm
lemon juice to 40C and whisk in the pectin
sugar. Bring the lemon juice to a boil and leave
to simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat
and let the compote cool a little. Spread a thin
layer of compote over the biscuit base and disc
and place both in the refrigerator while you
prepare the ganache.
TIP: You can add a little yellow food colouring
for a more lemon coloured compote.
LEMON GANACHE
250 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
75 ml lemon juice
75 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring lemon
juice and heavy cream to a simmer in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender.
Fill the tart halfway with ganache and refrigerate
for a moment. Place the biscuit disc on top and
fill the tart to the top with ganache, refrigerate
for at least 3 hours, until the ganache has set.
Add the remaining ganache to a piping bag
with a small, round piping tip and refrigerate
while you prepare the macaron shells.
MINI MACARON SHELLS DECORATION

150 g almond flour yellow pansies

150 g icing sugar
55 g egg white Decorate the tart with mini macarons and yellow
lemon yellow food colouring paste pansies just before serving.
150 g sugar
50 ml water TIP: If the biscuit base finds it hard to let go of
55 g egg white its tart ringed embrace, freeze it for a moment
and try again.
Sieve almond flour and icing sugar into a bowl.
Add 55 g egg white and food colouring paste
and mix together with a wooden spatula. Bring
sugar and water to a boil and cook to 118C.
Whisk the remaining 55 g egg whites until stiff
peaks in a standmixer and slowly pour the
118C hot sugar syrup into the egg whites while
whisking. Continue to whisk until the meringue is
shiny, peaked and almost cooled. Fold a little of
the meringue into the almond mixture and then
carefully fold in the remaining. Add the batter to
a piping bag with a small, round piping tip and
pipe small circles onto a baking tray lined with
baking paper. Bake the shells for 5-8 minutes at
150C fan, and leave to cool completely.

Sandwich the mini macaron shells with the

remaining lemon ganache and keep in a box
in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

TIP: Save the pile of spare macarons in the

freezer for another day of particularly urgent
urge for cake.

69
 PEANUT - MILK CHOCOLATE - CARAMEL
Straight and reserved on the outside. Sweet and almost irresistible on the inside. Little Snickers-soldiers in formation.
The tarts offer crunchy, caramelised peanuts, liquid, salted caramel, silky milk chocolate ganache and synchronised
chocolate straws on the ready.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
6 small, square tart rings (7 x 7 cm)

COCOA SHORTCRUST PEANUT CRUNCH SALTED CARAMEL

120 g flour 60 g sugar 50 ml heavy cream

20 g peanut flour 60 g salted peanuts
10 g unsweetened cocoa powder 30 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 75 g glucose syrup
50 g icing sugar from Valrhona
75 g cold butter 30 g feuilletine
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel in
a saucepan, immediately remove from the heat
Add flour, peanut flour, cocoa powder, icing and stir in the peanuts. Pour the caramelised
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and peanuts onto a sheet of baking paper and leave
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz to cool. Grind 60 g of the caramelised peanuts
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between to praliné in a durable mini grinder, and finely
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for chop the rest.
at least 1 hour.
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
Line small square tart rings (7 x 7 cm) with the remove the bowl from the heat. Stir in peanut
dough and bake for about 15 minutes at 175C. praliné, finely chopped, caramelised peanuts
Leave them to cool. and feuilletine. Divide the crunch between the
tart shells and level the surfaces with an offset
spatula. Refrigerate the tarts while you prepare
the caramel.
25 g butter
1
/3 teaspoon sea salt flakes
75 g sugar
Bring heavy cream, glucose syrup and salt to a
simmer in a small saucepan. Carefully melt the
sugar to a golden caramel in another saucepan,
and remove from the heat. Gradually pour in the
warm cream while whisking vigorously. Leave
to cool. Pour a little salted caramel on top of the
peanut crunch in the tart shells, and refrigerate
while you prepare the ganache.
TIP: Make sure the cream is very hot when it
meets the caramelized sugar, or you may end
up with a lumpy caramel!

70
MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
120 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
from Valrhona
80 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the heavy
cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and
pour over the chocolate, while stirring in the
middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with
a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Pour the ganache on top of
the salted caramel in the tart shells and refrigerate
for at least 1 hour, until the ganache has set.
CHOCOLATE STRAWS
100 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour the chocolate
into a freezer bag with a small hole in one
corner. With a steady hand pipe long straws
onto a piece of chocolate acetate. Refrigerate
the chocolate straws until they have set.
DECORATION
halved peanuts
edible gold dust
Brush the halved peanuts with gold dust and
decorate the tarts with chocolate straws and
gilded peanuts just before serving.
TIP: Shortcrust, crunch, caramel and chocolate
straws can all be prepared one day in advance,
but make sure to assemble and decorate the
tarts on the day of serving. That way, the tarts
are at peak taste when served.
73
 APPLE - BLACKCURRANT - CARAMEL CHOCOLATE
Bewitching, bordeaux apple tart with a sweet taste of fall. It would, if possible, prefer to be filled with almond-saturated
marzipan, XL chunks of caramel chocolate and freshly picked apples and blackcurrants from the back yard.

8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
square tart ring (17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm)
square cake ring (13 x 13 cm)

ALMOND CRUMBLE SHORTCRUST MAZARIN

15 g flour 125 g flour 50 g marzipan

15 g almond flour 25 g almond flour
15 g raw cane sugar 50 g icing sugar
15 g cold butter 75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt 1 pinch of salt
1
/2 egg
Using your fingers, combine flour, almond flour,
cane sugar, butter and salt in a bowl. Spread Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter and
the crumble on a baking tray lined with baking salt to a food processor and quickly blitz to
paper, and bake for about 10 minutes until golden. combine. Add the egg and blitz to combine.
Leave to cool. Roll the dough out thinly between two sheets of
baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line a square tart ring (17 1/2 x 17 1/2 cm) with
the dough and bake for about 10 minutes at
175C. Meanwhile, prepare the marzipan filling.
50 g sugar
50 g soft butter
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
60 g caramel chocolate, preferably Dulcey 32%
from Valrhona
In a bowl, beat marzipan, sugar, butter and
salt until light and creamy. Stir in the egg.
Transfer batter to the warm tart shell and level
the surface with a spatula. Chop chocolate
coarsely and sprinkle crumble and chopped
chocolate onto the batter. Bake for an additional
15 minutes at 175C until golden. Leave to
cool completely.

74
BLACKCURRANT GANACHE
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% red wood sorrel
from Valrhona
40 g blackcurrant purée
35 ml heavy cream
5 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Bring blackcurrant purée,
heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender.
Place a square cake ring (13 x 13 cm) in the tart
and pour the blackcurrant ganache around the
edge. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the
ganache has set.
APPLE BLACKCURRANT DECORATION
COMPOTE
100 g blackcurrant purée
50 g sugar Decorate with wood sorrel leaves just before
200 g diced apple serving.
In a small saucepan, bring blackcurrant purée TIP: The tart is absolutely wonderful when
and sugar to a boil and let simmer for a couple warm too. Leave out the blackcurrant ganache,
of minutes. Stir in the diced apple. Remove add the apple-blackcurrant compote directly on
the compote from the heat and leave to cool the warm tart and serve a creamy blackcurrant
completely. Lift the cake ring from the tart and or vanilla ice cream on the side.
fill the cavity with compote.
TIP: If you prefer, you can soften the apple by
letting it simmer with the blackcurrant compote.
I love it when it is super crispy.
TIP: Warm up the inside of the cake ring with a
blowtorch for a quick smooth release of the ring.
77
COFFEE - CARAMEL CHOCOLATE
Despite rarely drinking coffee out of a cup, I seize every chance I get to fill the small, bitter beans in my tarts.
Here the coffee presents itself in both infused and crunchy ways and is complimented by sweet caramel notes
from Dulcey and brown sugar.

6-8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter)

COFFEE SHORTCRUST COFFEE FRANGIPANE CARAMEL GANACHE

WITH COFFEE
125 g flour 50 g almond flour
25 g almond flour 50 g sugar 120 ml heavy cream
50 g icing sugar 50 g softened butter 8 g whole coffee beans
75 g cold butter 1 g finely ground coffee 160 g caramel chocolate, preferably Dulcey 32%
2 g finely ground coffee 1 pinch salt from Valrhona
1 generous pinch of salt 1 egg 1 g finely ground coffee beans
/2 egg
1

Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
ground coffee and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line a tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake the shells for about 10 minutes
at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.
Place almond flour, sugar, butter, ground coffee
and salt in a bowl and beat until light and airy.
Beat in the egg. Spread out the frangipane in
the warm tart shell and even the surface with
an offset spatula. Bake the tart for another
15 minutes, until light golden brown. Let the tart
cool completely.
Bring the heavy cream and coffee beans to a
simmer in a small saucepan and remove from
the heat. Leave to infuse for about 10 minutes
with the lid on, then strain and discard the
coffee beans.
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Pour the warm
coffee cream over the chocolate, while stirring
in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes
together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Stir in ground coffee beans and emulsify with
an immersion blender. Pour the ganache over
the frangipane and refrigerate for at least
2 hours, until the ganache has set.

79
 DECORATION

20 g caramel chocolate, preferably Dulcey 32%

from Valrhona
Dulcey-pearls
whole coffee beans
finely ground coffee beans

Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour the

chocolate into a freezer bag with a tiny hole in
one corner and drizzle the chocolate over the
tart with a decisive hand. Decorate the tart with
pearls and whole and ground coffee beans just
before serving.

TIP: The choice of coffee beans make all the

difference for the flavour of the tart. I am very
happy with the light roast of La Cabras beans
with their bright, acidic notes, but feel free to use
your own favourite beans.

80
 RASPBERRY - COCOA - PECAN
Fanciful raspberry blossoms that dazzle with a very intense raspberry flavour, molten pecan praline
and a core of sparkling raspberry droplets. My daughter’s new favourite dessert.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
round cookie cutter (3 cm diameter)
’air mat’-silicone mat
big, round piping tip (12 mm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST RASPBERRY GANACHE PECAN PRALINÉ

120 g flour 150 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 50 g sugar

15 g almond flour
15 g cocoa powder
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Cut out 30 small discs (3 cm diameter) of the
dough with a round cookie cutter. Place five
dough discs in the shape of a flower and press
the joinings flat. Repeat with the remaining
discs. Bake the shortcrust flowers for about 10
minutes at 175 C and let cool completely.
from Valrhona
50 g raspberry purée
45 ml heavy cream
5 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring raspberry
purée, heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in
a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with
a spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache
comes together with a beautifully glossy
surface. Emulsify with an immersion blender.
Pour the ganache into a piping bag with a large,
round piping tip (12 mm diameter and refriger-
ate for at least 2 hours, until the ganache
has set.
50 g toasted pecans
1 nip salt
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel
in a saucepan, immediately remove from the
heat and stir in pecans and salt. Pour the
caramelised pecans out onto a sheet of baking
paper and leave to cool. Grind the caramelised
pecans to nut butter (praliné) in a durable
mini grinder.
TIP: To go all in on raspberry substitute
the piquant pecan praline with homemade
raspberry jam.

TIP: I bake my shortcrust flowers on an ‘air mat’

silicone mat, which ensures an even bake and
imprints the prettiest pattern.

82
 RASPBERRY CAVIAR CHOCOLATE DISCS DECORATION AND ASSEMBLY

300 ml neutral oil
2 leaves gelatine
50 g raspberry purée
10 g sugar
Pour the oil into a narrow, tall container and
freeze for about 2 hours, until ice cold, but not
frozen solid. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
Bring raspberry purée and sugar to a boil
in a small saucepan and remove from heat.
Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and
dissolve in the warm raspberry purée. Let cool
until warm to the touch.
100 g Inspiration Raspberry from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Thinly roll out
a small amount of the tempered chocolate
between two pieces of acetate, and quickly
refrigerate until the chocolate has set. Cut out
30 small discs of the chocolate with a warm
cookie cutter (3 cm diameter).
Purple cornflowers
Pipe five rings of ganache on a shortcrust flower
and fill the rings with pecan praliné. Place five
chocolate circles on top and fill the centre with
raspberry caviar. Repeat with the remaining
tarts. Decorate with cornflowers.
TIP: Assemble the tarts just before serving,
so the shortcrust stays crisp and the ganache
velvety soft.

Pour the raspberry purée into a piping bag with a

small hole in the tip and drip one drop at a time
into the ice cold oil. Leave the raspberry caviar
in the oil until ready to use.

TIP: Just before plating, rinse the raspberry

caviar in plenty of ice cold water until all oil
is removed.

84
 DARK CHOCOLATE - CHERRY
In all honesty, I’m not really a fan of the classic, vanilla-seasoned crème brûlée. However, I’ve completely lost my heart
to this semi-flippant chocolate tart version. Flaky, cocoa-heavy shortcrust, aromatic Amarena cherries, splintery caramel
lid and a super velvety chocolate custard that melts wonderfully on the tongue.

8 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
8 small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter)
blowtorch

COCOA SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE CUSTARD DECORATION

120 g flour 40 g egg yolks raw cane sugar

15 g almond flour
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter) with
the dough and bake the shells for about
10 minutes at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the
chocolate custard.
50 g sugar red wood sorrel
250 ml heavy cream
50 g dark chocolate, preferably Caraïbe 66% Just before serving, cover the tarts with a
from Valrhona thin layer of cane sugar and caramelise the
1 pinch of salt sugar with a blowtorch. Decorate with wood
25-30 small Amarena cherries, preferably sorrel leaves.
from Fabbri
TIP: Only caramelise the sugar just before
Lightly whisk egg yolks and 25 g of sugar in a serving, so the caramel lid is perfectly crisp.
bowl. Bring the heavy cream and the remaining Or even better - let your guests have fun with
sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan and the blowtorch.
whisk into the egg yolks. Add chocolate and stir
until the chocolate has melted. Emulsify with an
immersion blender.
Divide the custard into the tart shells and add
3-4 amarena cherries to each. Bake the tarts
for 12-15 minutes at 150C, until the chocolate
custard has almost set, but still wobbles a bit in
the middle.

TIP: The secret behind the perfectly velvet

chocolate custard? Keep a loving eye on the
tarts during the last 5 minutes of baking and
remove them from the oven while the custard
centre is still slightly wobbly.

86
 PEAR - THYME - WHITE CHOCOLATE
Pear tart gone wild. Underneath the mesmerising pear rose thyme-infused lime ganache, moist pistachio frangipane and crazily
flaky pistachio shortcrust is hiding. And the pear rose? 23 minutes and 18 seconds of pure decoration meditation.

6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tall tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter, 3 1/2 cm tall)
1 mandoline

PISTACHIO SHORTCRUST PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE THYME WHITE CHOCOLATE

125 g flour
25 g pistachio flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 generous pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, pistachio flour, icing sugar, butter
and salt to a food processor and quickly blitz
to combine. Add the egg and blitz to combine.
Roll the dough out thinly between two sheets of
baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line a tall tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter, 3 1/2 cm
tall) with the dough and bake the shell for about
10 minutes at 175C. Meanwhile, prepare the
frangipane.
TIP: I make my own pistachio flour by toasting
green, unsalted pistachios for 3-5 minutes at
200C, letting them cool and then quickly grinding
them in a mini grinder.
GANACHE
25 g pistachio flour
25 g almond flour 200 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
50 g sugar from Valrhona
50 g softened butter 70 ml heavy cream
1 pinch salt 50 ml kefir
1 egg 10 ml lime juice
5 g tender thyme sprigs
Place pistachio flour, almond flour, sugar, butter 1 teaspoon sugar
and salt in a bowl and beat until light and airy.
Beat in the egg. Pour the frangipane into the Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
warm tart shell and level the surface with an offset remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the cream
spatula. Bake the tart for about 20 minutes until to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the
golden. Leave to cool. chocolate, while stirring in the middle of the
bowl with a spatula. Continue to stir until the
ganache comes together with a beautifully
glossy surface. Stir in kefir and lime juice.
Grind the thyme sprigs and sugar in a mortar
and pestle and mix into the ganache. Emulsify
with an immersion blender. Pour the ganache
onto the frangipane and refrigerate for at least
2 hours, until the ganache has set.

88
89
CHOCOLATE RIBBON
100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 5 crisp, green pears
from Valrhona
pink food colouring powder
Melt and temper the chocolate, and stir in the
food colouring powder. Spread some of the
chocolate on a long, narrow piece of acetate
(40 x 6 cm), lift the acetate off the table and
let the chocolate set a little. Wrap the acetate
around a tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter) and
quickly refrigerate the finished ribbon until the
chocolate has set.
DECORATION
juice from 1 lime
tender thyme sprigs
purple thyme flowers
Cut the pears in quarters and remove the core.
Slice the quarters super thin on a mandoline
and put them in a bowl with water and lime
juice. Fish up the pear slices and dry them with
a paper towel. Place the pear slices along the
edge of the tart and work inwards. Finish with a
small rose of pear in the middle of the tart.
Carefully place the chocolate ribbon around the
tart and decorate with thyme sprigs and flowers
just before serving.
TIP: The pear rose might look like a challenge,
but is surprisingly easy to master - especially
with a mandoline sidekick.
91
 BLACKCURRANT - DARK CHOCOLATE
Small brownie tarts hidden behind hypnotizingly beautiful, pale pink blackcurrant spirals. The combination
of the dark chocolate filling and the intense, tangy blackcurrant core is nearly impossible to resist. I sure can’t.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
6 small tart rings (7 1/2 cm diameter)
small saint honore piping tip

COCOA SHORTCRUST BROWNIE MACERATED BLACKCURRANTS

120 g flour 60 g dark chocolate, preferably Caraïbe 66% 50 g blackcurrant

15 g almond flour
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (7 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the brownie.
from Valrhona 20 g sugar
30 g butter
1 egg Place blackcurrant and sugar in a little box
90 g sugar with a lid and refrigerate. Shake the box every
15 g flour 20 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Make
5 g unsweetened cocoa powder a small cavity in the center of each tart and fill
1 pinch of sea salt flakes it with a little macerated blackcurrant.
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie
and remove the bowl from the heat. Lightly
whisk the egg and sugar together and stir in the
chocolate mixture. Fold in flour, cocoa powder
and salt. Fill the warm tart shells halfway with
the batter and bake for another 10 minutes.

92
BLACKCURRANT GANACHE
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% 75 g sugar
from Valrhona
40 g blackcurrant purée
35 ml heavy cream
5 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Bring blackcurrant purée,
heavy cream and lemon juice to a simmer in a
small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with
a spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache
comes together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Pour the
ganache into the tarts and refrigerate for at least
1 hour, until the ganache has set.
BLACKCURRANT MERINGUE DECORATION
red wood sorrel
40 g glucose syrup
30 g blackcurrant purée Decorate the tarts with wood sorrel leaves just
50 g egg whites before serving.
1 tablespoon sugar
In a small saucepan, bring 75 g sugar, glucose
syrup and blackcurrant purée to a simmer.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites and sugar until
soft peaks form. When the syrup reaches
118C, slowly pour it into the egg whites while
constantly beating. Beat at high speed until it
is thick and glossy.
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with
a small saint honoré piping tip and pipe spirals
onto the tarts.
TIP: The blackcurrant spirals can be a little
challenging if you don’t own a turntable or a
record player... but other blackcurrant patterns
taste just as good.
95
 PISTACHIO - DARK MILK CHOCOLATE - SALT
Mirrorlike chocolate tart with a funky, caramelised pistachio core, dark milk chocolate ganache
and uncontrollable chocolate loops all over. Primarily for pistachio enthusiasts.

6-8 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST PISTACHIO CRUNCH DARK MILK CHOCOLATE

GANACHE
120 g flour 140 g sugar
15 g almond flour 140 g green, unsalted pistachio nuts 150 g dark milk chocolate, preferably Bahibe 46%
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder 70 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% from Valrhona
50 g icing sugar from Valrhona 100 ml heavy cream
75 g cold butter 1 generous pinch of sea salt flakes
1 nip salt Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
/2 egg
1
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel remove the bowl from the heat. Bring the heavy
in a saucepan, immediately remove from the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and
Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing heat and stir in the pistachio nuts. Pour the pour over the chocolate, while stirring in the
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and caramelised pistachio nuts onto a sheet of middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz baking paper and leave to cool. Grind 140 g to stir until the ganache comes together with
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between of the caramelised pistachio nuts to pralinè in a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with an
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for a durable mini grinder, and finely chop the rest. immersion blender. Pour the ganache onto
at least 1 hour. the pistachio crunch and refrigerate for at least
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and 2 hours, until the ganache has set.
Line a tart ring (18 1/2 cm diameter) with the remove the bowl from the heat. Stir in pistachio
dough and bake for about 15 minutes at 175C. praliné and finely chopped, caramelised
Leave to cool. pistachio nuts and season with salt to taste.
Transfer the crunch to the tart shell and level the
surface with an offset spatula. Refrigerate the
tart for at least 1 hour, until the crunch has set.

96
CHOCOLATE LOOPS

100 g dark milk chocolate, preferably Bahibe 46%

from Valrhona
green, unsalted pistachios

Melt and temper the chocolate. Spread some

of the chocolate on a long, narrow piece of
acetate and make lines with a notched spatula.
Chop the pistachios finely and sprinkle on top.
Fold the acetate so it forms a spiral and refrigerate
until the chocolate has set.

TIP: I adore the giant, euphoric chocolate

loops, but a less crazy decoration might also do.
100
101
 RHUBARB - LEMON - CARDAMOM
Very few things in May can compare to a tart fresh from the oven spoiled with pink rhubarbs and miniature macarons.
I season this one with lemon zest and newly ground cardamom, and find a more or less useful excuse to bake two.
I think you should do the same.

4-6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter)
sugar thermometer

CARDAMOM SHORTCRUST CARDAMOM FRANGIPANE

125 g flour 25 g almond flour

25 g almond flour 25 g sugar
50 g icing sugar 25 g soft butter
75 g cold butter /3 teaspoon ground cardamom
1

/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1
finely grated lemon zest
finely grated lemon zest 1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of salt /2 egg
1

/2 egg
1

In a bowl, beat almond flour, sugar, butter,

Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
cardamom, lemon zest and salt to a food
processor and quickly blitz to combine. Add
the egg and blitz to combine. Roll the dough
out thinly between two sheets of baking paper
and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
cardamom, lemon zest and salt until light and
creamy. Stir in the egg. Transfer the frangipane
to the warm tart shell and level the surface with
a spatula. Bake the tart an additional 15 minutes
at 175C until golden. Leave to cool.

Line a tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter) with the

dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.

TIP: I recommend that you use whole cardamom

pods for the tart and grind the small, black
seeds in a mortar. It makes a fantastic difference
for the taste.

102
 RHUBARB JUICE AND COMPOTE
200 g rhubarb
80 g sugar
40 ml lemon juice
In a saucepan, bring rhubarb, sugar and
lemon juice to a boil and let it simmer for about
5 minutes, until the rhubarb is well done.
Sift the rhubarb to separate juice from compote.
Spread a thin layer of compote onto the
frangipane and refrigerate the tart while you
prepare the ganache.
TIP: The remaining rhubarb compote is an
excellent addition to your morning muesli.
104
RHUBARB GANACHE
100 ml rhubarb juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Bring the rhubarb juice
to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the
chocolate, while stirring in the middle of the
bowl with a spatula. Continue to stir until the
ganache comes together with a beautifully
glossy surface. Emulsify with an immersion
blender. Pour the ganache on top of the rhubarb
compote in the tart shell, and refrigerate for at
least 2 hours, until the ganache has set.
Transfer the remaining ganache to a piping bag
with a small, round piping tip and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, prepare the macaron shells.
MACARON SHELLS
150 g almond flour
150 g icing sugar
55 g egg whites
pink food colouring paste
150 g sugar
50 ml water
55 g egg whites
In a bowl, mix almond flour, powdered sugar,
55 g of egg whites and food colouring paste
until a paste forms. In a small saucepan, bring
sugar and water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the
remaining 55 g of egg whites until soft peaks
form. When the syrup reaches 118C, slowly
pour it into the egg whites while constantly
beating. Beat at high speed until it is thick
and glossy.
Using a spatula, fold one third of the meringue
into the almond paste. Carefully fold in the
remaining meringue. Transfer the batter to a
piping bag fitted with a small, round tip and
pipe small shells onto a baking tray with baking
paper. Bake the shells for 5-8 minutes at 150 °C
(in a fan oven) and leave to cool.
Pair the macaron shells according to size and
fill each pair with rhubarb ganache. Store the
finished macarons in an airtight box in the
refrigerator until serving.
TIP: There will be a few macarons in excess.
I don’t see a problem here.
CHOCOLATE TWIGS DECORATION

100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% yellow pansies

from Valrhona yellow wood sorrel flowers
pink food colouring powder pink ice begonias

Melt and temper the chocolate and stir in the Decorate the tart with rhubarb macarons,
food colouring powder. Pour the chocolate into chocolate twigs and flowers just before serving.
a freezer bag with a small hole in one corner
and pipe delicate waves onto a piece of
chocolate acetate. Refrigerate the chocolate
twigs until they have set.

105
 PASSION FRUIT - MILK CHOCOLATE
When milk chocolate and passion fruit start dancing, I simply can’t sit still. Here, the duo joins in a devilishly
delicious tart inspired by Pierre Hermé’s popular macaron, Mogador. The tart has a delightful crunch,
an unusually fruity milk chocolate ganache and a big pile of macarons - naturellement.

4-6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST HAZELNUT CRUNCH MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

120 g flour 30 g sugar
15 g hazelnut flour 30 g roasted hazelnuts
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder 15 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
50 g icing sugar from Valrhona
75 g cold butter 15 g feuilletine
1 pinch of salt 1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel in
Add flour, hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, icing a saucepan, immediately remove from the heat
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and and stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the caramelised
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz hazelnuts onto a sheet of baking paper and
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between leave to cool. Grind 30 g of the caramelised
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for hazelnuts to praliné in a durable mini grinder,
at least 1 hour. and finely chop the rest.
Line a tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter) with the Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
dough and bake the shell for about 15 minutes remove the bowl from the heat. Stir in hazelnut
at 175C. Leave to cool. praliné, finely chopped, caramelised hazelnuts
and feuilletine and add salt to taste. Transfer the
crunch in the tart shell and level the surface with
an offset spatula. Refrigerate the tart while you
prepare the ganache.
WITH PASSION FRUIT
240 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
from Valrhona
80 g passion fruit purée
80 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring passion
fruit purée and heavy cream to a simmer in a
small saucepan and pour over the chocolate,
while stirring in the middle of the bowl with
a spatula. Continue to stir until the ganache
comes together with a beautifully glossy surface.
Emulsify with an immersion blender. Pour the
ganache on top of the hazelnut crunch in the
tart shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours,
until the ganache has set.
Transfer the remaining ganache to a piping
bag with a small, round tip and refrigerate
while you prepare the macaron shells.

106
108
MACARON SHELLS DECORATION

150 g almond flour unsweetened cocoa powder

150 g icing sugar milk chocolate pearls
55 g egg whites yellow wood sorrel flowers
orange-yellow food colouring paste
150 g sugar Sift cocoa powder over the finished macarons
50 ml water and decorate the tart with macarons, chocolate
55 g egg whites pearls and wood sorrel flowers just before serving.

In a bowl, mix almond flour, powdered sugar,

55 g of egg whites and food colouring paste
until a paste forms. In a small saucepan, bring
sugar and water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the
remaining 55 g of egg whites until soft peaks
form. When the syrup reaches 118C, slowly
pour it into the egg whites while constantly
beating. Beat at high speed until it is thick
and glossy.

Using a spatula, fold one third of the meringue

into the almond paste. Carefully fold in the
remaining meringue. Transfer the batter to
a piping bag fitted with a small, round tip and
pipe small shells onto a baking tray with baking
paper. Bake the shells for 5-8 minutes at 150C
(in a fan oven) and leave to cool.

Pair the macaron shells according to size and

fill each pair with the passion fruit ganache.
Store the finished macarons in an airtight box
in the refrigerator until serving.

109
 DARK CHOCOLATE - PECAN NUT
Small, but deeply serious chocolate tart with an enchanting molten core of pecan praliné and chocolate.
When I’m happy, I’ll upgrade the warm chocolate tart with a quenelle of homemade ice cream. You are more
than welcome to steal that idea.
8 SMALL TARTS
EQUIPMENT
8 small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter)
COCOA SHORTCRUST
120 g flour
15 g pecan flour
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, pecan flour, cocoa powder, icing
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (6 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate filling.
TIP: I make my own pecan flour by toasting
pecan nuts for 3-5 minutes at 200C, letting
them cool and then quickly grinding them in a
mini grinder.
110
PECAN PRALINÉ
50 g sugar
50 g roasted pecan nuts
1 pinch of salt
Carefully melt the sugar to a golden caramel in
a saucepan, immediately remove from the heat
and stir in the pecan nuts. Pour the caramelised
pecan nuts onto a sheet of baking paper and
leave to cool. Grind the caramelised pecan nuts
to praliné in a durable mini grinder and transfer
to a piping bag.
CHOCOLATE FILLING
200 g dark chocolate, preferably Caraïbe 66%
from Valrhona
160 ml heavy cream
120 ml whole milk
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Bring heavy cream and
milk to a simmer in a small saucepan and pour
over the chocolate, while stirring in the middle of
the bowl with a spatula. Continue to stir until the
filling comes together with a beautifully glossy
surface. Let cool for a moment and stir in egg
and salt. Emulsify with an immersion blender.
Divide the chocolate filling between the warm
tart shells and pipe a little pecan praliné into the
center of each. Bake the tarts for about 10 more
minutes at 175C until the chocolate filling almost
has set, but still wobbles a little in the middle.
TIP: If you give your tarts your loving attention
for the last 5 minutes, you will have a much easier
time attaining a perfectly molten chocolate core.
CHOCOLATE DISCS
100 g dark chocolate, preferably Caraïbe 66% cocoa powder
from Valrhona
Melt and temper the chocolate. Roll out some of
the chocolate between two acetate sheets, and
quickly refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Cut out small discs using a warm, round cookie
cutter (about 4 cm diameter).
DECORATION
edible gold dust
edible gold leaf
Place a small bowl (about 12 cm diameter)
upside-down on a dessert plate and sieve
cocoa powder and gold dust over it. Carefully
remove the bowl again. Place a warm chocolate
tart in the center of the golden cocoa circle,
and decorate with chocolate discs and gold
leaf. Repeat with the remaining tarts.
TIP: You have my permission to serve a
homemade vanilla or pecan ice cream on
the side.
TIP: If you serve the warm chocolate tarts
directly, I suggest you place the small chocolate
discs on top of the tarts and let them melt as
well. The result is surprisingly stunning.
113
 LEMON - SESAME - WHITE CHOCOLATE
A pale yellow and silky lemon explosion on a base of juicy sesame frangipane and crazy flaky sesame
shortcrust - and with a center of uncontrollable sesame praliné. The wildest tart in the book.
6 PEOPLE
EQUIPMENT
tall tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter, 3 1/2 cm tall)
round silicone mould (10 cm diameter)
round silicone mould (11 1/2 cm diameter)
sugar thermometer
SESAME PRALINÉ
50 g sugar
35 g roasted sesame seeds
1 pinch of salt
In a saucepan, carefully melt the sugar to a
golden caramel. Immediately remove it from the
heat and stir in sesame seeds and salt. Pour the
caramelised sesame seeds out onto a piece of
baking paper and leave to cool. Grind the
caramelised sesame seeds to praliné in a durable
mini grinder. Pour the praliné into a round silicone
mould (10 cm diameter) and freeze for at least
4 hours until it is completely frozen.
TIP: If your mini grinder can’t quite liquify the
caramelised sesame seeds, you can help it
along with a bit of sesame oil.
114
LEMON MOUSSE
1 1/2 leaves of gelatine
50 ml lemon juice
50 g sugar
100 ml heavy cream
50 ml kefir
Soak the gelatine in cold water. In a small
saucepan, bring lemon juice and sugar to a boil
and remove from heat. Squeeze excess water
from the gelatine and stir it into the warm lemon
syrup. Leave to cool until lukewarm. In a large
bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Stir the
kefir into the lemon syrup and gently fold in the
whipped cream.
Transfer the mousse into a round silicone mould
(11 /2 cm diameter) and press down the frozen
1
sesame praliné. Freeze overnight.
SESAME SHORTCRUST
125 g flour
25 g sesame flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
finely grated lemon zest
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, sesame flour, icing sugar, butter,
lemon zest and salt to a food processor and
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for
at least 1 hour.
Line a tall tart ring (12 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake for about 10 minutes at 175C.
Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane.
TIP: I make my own sesame flour by roasting
sesame seeds for 5 minutes at 200C, leaving
them to cool and giving them a quick blitz on
the mini grinder.
SESAME FRANGIPANE
25 g sesame flour
25 g almond flour
50 g sugar
50 g soft butter
finely grated lemon zest
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
In a bowl, beat sesame flour, almond flour,
sugar, butter, lemon zest and salt until light and
creamy. Stir in the egg. Transfer the frangipane
to the warm tart shell and level the surface with
a spatula. Bake the tart an additional 20 minutes
at 175 ºC until golden. Leave to cool.
LEMON GANACHE
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
35 ml lemon juice
35 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring lemon
juice and cream to a boil in a small saucepan
and pour over the chocolate, while stirring in
the middle of the bowl with a spatula. Continue
to stir until the ganache comes together with
a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with an
immersion blender. Pour the ganache on top
of the frangipane and refrigerate for at least 2
hours, until the ganache has set.
LEMON GLAZE CHOKOLATE RING
3 leaves of gelatine 100 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
75 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35% from Valrhona
from Valrhona
50 ml heavy cream Melt and temper the chocolate. Roll out the
25 ml lemon juice chocolate between two acetate sheets, and
75 g sugar quickly refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
75 g glucose syrup Cut out a chocolate ring with two warm cookie
yellow food colouring cutters (14 and 16 cm diameter).
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Chop the
chocolate finely and place into a plastic pitcher.
In a small saucepan, bring cream, lemon juice, DECORATION
sugar and glucose syrup to a boil and remove
from heat. Squeeze excess water from gelatine yellow red wood sorrel flowers
and stir it into the warm cream. Pour the cream
into the chocolate and emulsify with an immersion Carefully bring the chocolate ring over the tart
blender. Add the yellow food colouring and and decorate with red wood sorrel flowers just
emulsify again. Cover the surface with cling film before serving.
and let the glaze cool down to 35C.
Place the frozen mousse on a small tart ring and
glaze it. Let the glaze set and remove any drips
under the cake with a small knife. Place the
glazed lemon mousse on top of the tart and let
it thaw on a plate in the refrigerator.
117
 REDCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIQUORICE
Redcurrant, liquorice and white chocolate are really very good friends and meet here in a small dessert tart with
a big personality. I especially love the petite macarons, the toasted liquorice meringue tree and the pastel pink palette
- and the liquorice pastry cream, of course, but you probably knew that already.

6 SMALL TARTS

EQUIPMENT
6 small tart rings (7 1/2 cm diameter)
sugar thermometer
blowtorch

LIQUORICE SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE LAYER LIQUORICE PASTRY CREAM

125 g flour
25 g almond flour
50 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter
1 teaspoon raw liquorice powder
1 pinch of salt
/2 egg
1
Add flour, almond flour, icing sugar, butter,
liquorice powder and salt to a food processor
and quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and
blitz to combine. Roll the dough out thinly
between two sheets of baking paper and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Line small tart rings (7 1/2 cm diameter) with
the dough and bake for about 10 minutes at
175C until golden. Leave the tart shells to cool.
50 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
1
/2 teaspoon raw liquorice powder
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Stir in the liquorice
powder. Brush the tart shells with a thin layer
of chocolate and quickly refrigerate until the
chocolate has set.
120 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35%
from Valrhona
40 g sweet liquorice syrup
40 g redcurrant purée
40 ml heavy cream
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
remove the bowl from the heat. Bring liquorice
syrup, redcurrant purée and heavy cream to
a simmer in a small saucepan and pour over
the chocolate, while stirring in the middle of
the bowl with a spatula. Continue to stir until
the ganache comes together with a beautifully
glossy surface. Emulsify with an immersion
blender. Fill the tart shells halfway with the
liquorice pastry cream and refrigerate for at
least 1 hour, until the cream has set.

118
120
REDCURRANT GANACHE MACARON SHELLS LIQUORICE MERINGUE

180 g white chocolate, preferably Ivoire 35 % 150 g almond flour
from Valrhona
60 g redcurrant purée
60 ml heavy cream
10 ml lemon juice
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and remove
the bowl from the heat. Bring redcurrant purée,
heavy cream and lemon juice to a boil in a small
saucepan and pour over the chocolate, while
stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender. Pour the ganache on
top of the liquorice pastry cream in the tart
shells, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until
the ganache has set.
Transfer the remaining ganache to a piping bag
with a small, round piping tip and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, prepare the macaron shells.
150 g icing sugar
55 g egg whites
pink food colouring paste
150 g sugar
50 ml water
55 g egg whites
In a bowl, mix almond flour, powdered sugar,
55 g of egg whites and food colouring paste
until a paste forms. In a small saucepan, bring
sugar and water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the
remaining 55 g of egg whites until soft peaks
form. When the syrup reaches 118°C, slowly pour
it into the egg whites while constantly beating.
Beat at high speed until it is thick and glossy.
Using a spatula, fold one third of the meringue
into the almond paste. Carefully fold in the
remaining meringue. Transfer the batter to a
piping bag fitted with a small, round tip and
pipe small shells onto a baking tray with baking
paper. Bake the shells for 5-8 minutes at 150C
(in a fan oven) and leave to cool.
Pair the macaron shells according to size and
fill each pair with redcurrant ganache. Store
the finished macarons in an airtight box in the
refrigerator until serving.
70 g egg whites
100 g sugar
1 teaspoon raw liquorice powder
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Slowly add the sugar into egg whites while
constantly beating. Add the liquorice powder,
and continue beating until the meringue is
thick and glossy.
Spread a thin layer of the liquorice meringue
on the bottom of a saucepan, press it down on
a dessert plate and lift it to form a tree. Repeat
with the other plates. Toast the meringue to a
golden hue with a blowtorch.
DECORATION
pink wood sorrel flowers
Place a tart on top of the toasted liquorice
meringue and decorate with macarons and
flowers. Repeat with the remaining tarts.

TIP: Do you find macarons to be more trouble

than they are worth? Skip them, but promise me
you will try the tart anyway.
 MILK CHOCOLATE - CARAMEL - SALT
In my travels, I have sampled countless chocolate tarts. This reflecting treat beats almost all of them. A fantastically flaky cocoa shortcrust filled with the
most brilliant, velvety and still chewy salted caramel ganache. A faithful friend I will never tire of.

4-6 PEOPLE

EQUIPMENT
tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter)

COCOA SHORTCRUST CHOCOLATE LAYER MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

WITH SALTED CARAMEL
120 g flour 30 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
15 g almond flour from Valrhona 160 g milk chocolate, preferably Jivara 40%
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder from Valrhona
50 g icing sugar Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and 140 ml heavy cream
75 g cold butter remove the bowl from the heat. Brush the tart 10 g glucose syrup
1 pinch of salt shells with a thin layer of chocolate and quickly /3 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1

/2 egg
1
refrigerate until the chocolate has set. 80 g sugar

Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, icing Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and
sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and remove the bowl from the heat. Bring heavy
quickly blitz to combine. Add the egg and blitz cream, glucose syrup and salt to a simmer in
to combine. Roll the dough out thinly between a small saucepan. Carefully melt the sugar to
two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for a golden caramel in another saucepan, and
at least 1 hour. remove from the heat. Gradually pour in the
warm cream while whisking vigorously.
Line a tart ring (15 1/2 cm diameter) with the
dough and bake for about 15 minutes at 175C. Pour the caramel over the chocolate, while
Leave to cool. stirring in the middle of the bowl with a spatula.
Continue to stir until the ganache comes together
with a beautifully glossy surface. Emulsify with
an immersion blender. Pour the ganache into
the tart shell and refrigerate for at least three
hours, until the ganache has set.

TIP: Make sure the liquorice cream is very hot

when it meets the caramelized sugar, or you
may end up with a lumpy caramel!

122
CHOCOLATE DISCS DECORATION

100 g dark chocolate, preferably Manjari 64% edible leaf gold

from Valrhona
edible leaf gold Decorate the tart with chocolate discs and leaf
gold just before serving.
Melt and temper the chocolate. Roll out some
of the chocolate between two acetate sheets,
and quickly refrigerate until the chocolate has
set. Cut out small discs using a warm, round
cookie cutter and brush the leaf gold on them.
 MAJA’S GOOD ADVICE

THE ART OF TEMPERING SHORTCRUST

CHOCOLATE
There are many ways to temper chocolate and just
as many opinions about which one is the best method.
Use the one you feel the most comfortable.
Make sure to temper your chocolate in a cool
environment. It is nearly impossible in warm weather.
Trust me.
As you may have noticed, I’m a sucker for super
thin shortcrust shells. But don’t despair if yours is
half a millimeter thicker. The only drawback is that
you will have to wait slightly longer while your tart
bakes - and that there will be slightly less room for
the delicious filling.

Give your chocolate decorations a quick break in EQUIPMENT

the refrigerator or freezer, if it is stuck to the acetate.
That way it will easily release its grip. The bigger
the amount of chocolate, the easier the tempering.
My advice is to make the chocolate decorations of
a recipe first and then use the leftover chocolate in
the tart itself.
If you invest in a couple of perforated tart rings,
you will be able to bake nearly every tart in the book.
It is not complicated to up- or downscale a recipe to
fit, if you use your head ... or a calculator.
I always bake my tarts on an ‘air mat’ silicone mat.
It ensures an even heating and the most crazily flaky
shortcrust bases.

WHAT IS PURÉE?

All the purées mentioned in the book are 100% fruit EGGS
and berries without seeds and membranes. You
can buy the purées frozen or make them yourself by I always use medium sized eggs weighing about 50 g.
bringing (frozen) berries to a boil in a small saucepan
and simmering them for a few minutes, before passing
them through a fine meshed sieve.

126
SHELF LIFE

Every shortcrust tart tastes best fresh from the oven,

but may also be prepared one day in advance and
kept in air-tight boxes in the refrigerator.

STOP TART WASTE

You might have a small excess of shortcrust in some of

the recipes. Store it in the freezer for unexpected friends.

BEFRIEND THE RECIPE

Read the recipe thoroughly before you begin, so

you know the steps in advance and avoid suddenly
missing ingredients, equipment or time.

KNOW YOUR OVEN

No two ovens are alike, so keep an eye on your tart

for the last 5 minutes of baking. Perhaps your tart
needs 3 minutes more or less than mine.

I always use a conventional oven unless otherwise

specified.

127
 CONTENTS

6 SEA BUCKTHORN - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LICORICE

10 RASPBERRY - THYME - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIME

14 REDCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LEMON

18 PEANUT - CARAMEL - SALT

22 PEACH - RASPBERRY - TONKA

26 BLACKBERRY - MILK CHOCOLATE

30 LIME - BASIL -WHITE CHOCOLATE

34 BLACKBERRY - MILK CHOCOLATE - HAZELNUT

38 COCONUT - DARK CHOCOLATE

40 BLUEBERRY - DARK CHOCOLATE

44 COFFEE - MILK CHOCOLATE - HAZELNUT

48 PASSION FRUIT - WHITE CHOCOLATE

52 STRAWBERRY - VANILLA - BLACK PEPPER

58 VANILLA - KEFIR - WHITE CHOCOLATE

62 BLACKCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIQUORICE

128
66 LEMON - WHITE CHOCOLATE - BASTOGNE

70 PEANUT - MILK CHOCOLATE - CARAMEL

74 APPLE - BLACKCURRANT - CARAMEL CHOCOLATE

78 COFFEE - CARAMEL CHOCOLATE

82 RASPBERRY - COCOA - PECAN

86 DARK CHOCOLATE - CHERRY

88 PEAR - THYME - WHITE CHOCOLATE

92 BLACKCURRANT - DARK CHOCOLATE

96 PISTACIO - DARK MILK CHOCOLATE - SALT

100 RUBARB - LEMON - CARDAMOM

106 PASSION FRUIT - MILK CHOCOLATE

110 DARK CHOCOLATE - PECAN NUT

114 LEMON - SESAME - WHITE CHOCOLATE

118 REDCURRANT - WHITE CHOCOLATE - LIQUORICE

122 MILK CHOCOLATE - CARAMEL - SALT

129