Tarte Pralinee aux Noisettes

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly grease a 12-14 cm tart ring or small tart tin. In a bowl, rub the flour, icing sugar, salt, and cold butter together until the texture resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and cold water, then bring the dough together quickly without overworking it. Flatten into a disc.

2. 2

   Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to about 3 mm thick, then line the tart ring or tin. Press well into the corners for clean sides and trim the top. Chill or freeze for 10 minutes so the shell holds its shape in the oven.

3. 3

   Line the cold pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking weights. Blind-bake for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for 6-8 minutes more until evenly golden and dry to the touch. Cool completely before filling.

4. 4

   While the shell bakes, toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 8 minutes until fragrant. Tip them into a towel and rub off most of the skins. For better flavour, do not worry if a few skins remain.

5. 5

   Make a dry caramel by heating the caster sugar with the water in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns a deep amber. Swirl the pan rather than stirring once the syrup starts colouring. Immediately add the toasted hazelnuts, stir to coat, then pour onto baking paper to cool hard.

6. 6

   Break the cooled praline into pieces. Set aside 10 g for garnish, then blend the remainder to a paste. First it will become crumbs, then clump, and finally turn into a smooth, oily praline paste; scrape down the bowl as needed.

7. 7

   Whip the double cream with the mascarpone and vanilla extract to soft peaks. Fold in the praline paste until fully combined and smooth. The cream should be thick enough to hold swoops but still look silky.

8. 8

   Melt the dark chocolate gently, then brush or spread a very thin layer over the cooled tart shell to help keep the pastry crisp. Let it set for 2-3 minutes.

9. 9

   Spoon or pipe the praline cream into the tart shell and level or swirl the top decoratively. Chill for 10 minutes to firm slightly, then finish with the reserved crushed praline or chopped toasted hazelnuts. Slice and serve.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •If you have a powerful food processor, the praline paste comes together much faster; pause often so the machine does not overheat.
• •Freezing the lined tart shell briefly is the fastest way to prevent shrinkage and stay within the 60-minute timeline.
• •For the cleanest slices, chill the filled tart 10-15 minutes before cutting and wipe the knife between cuts.
• •A small pinch of flaky salt on top balances the sweetness beautifully.

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