Matcha mascarpone tarts



And yet another matcha post ....

There is no such thing as too much matcha , right ?! 😁

Made any list on what to bake for Christmas dinner ?


I was planning to make this tart an all matcha affair , using matcha milk jelly instead of strawberry . The tart though needs a flavour contrast and the slightly-tart homemade strawberry jelly is a great foil for the sinful mascarpone frosting .


This is a 4-layer tart ( for the 6-inch version ) and since I've got time on my hands , every component is homemade . I was supposed to add some chopped Pocky matcha  in between the 2 layers of matcha frosting but my mise en place was a bit chaotic that day , okay , every time I bake , so I've forgotten to add it . I'm blaming it to my advancing age . Ha ! 


For the tart crust , I used my favourite recipe which I swiped from Washoku Guide site . I should have added some milk as I find it a bit crumbly , I used 8 grams of green tea and I should have known better considering that I tried the recipe several times already  tsk tsk ! That said , the result still turned out great .

I still got some leftover strawberry puree from my last bake , the mousse tarts ( check out my previous post ) so I used it here . The contrast between green and red looks pretty rad , isn't it ?! And don't forget the flavour contrast !


For the sponge cake layer , it is another recipe from Washoku Guide ( you should really check this cooking site , lots of great recipes and very talented Japanese contributors ! ) . Okay , not really impressed with recipe , a bit dry and I think it needs something , not bad though .

For the frosting , it's pretty easy to make but don't over beat once you've added the mascarpone , I've read online that if you over beat , it will curdle , always remember that mascarpone is a bit expensive hee hee ! My frosting itself is not that smooth , I should have taken the mascarpone and let it stand at room temperature for a little while instead of adding it to the smooth cream cheese mixture straight from the fridge *sigh* I've read from Martha Stewart's  site , a little too late though tsk ! , that you should let it stand at room temp for 30 minutes before using ugh ! 

If you still need another cake for your Christmas dinner desserts , try this pretty-scrumptious confection !


Green tea shortcrust pastry , recipe adapted here

110 grams cake flour
30 grams almond flour
8 grams green tea powder
1 gram salt
60 grams cold salted butter , cubed 
1 (18 grams) egg yolk
a teaspoon or 2 milk , if you feel that the pastry dough is a bit dry 

* In a mixing bowl , sift in cake flour , almond flour , green tea and salt . Tip lumps that sit on the sieve into the bowl . Toss in butter and use fingertips to mix everything together until it resembles a fine breadcrumbs . Add in yolk and use a spatula to mix until dough is cohesive , add in milk if it is a bit dry . Knead gently few times until dough is smooth , take out 155 grams and wrap in a plastic wrap , do the same with the remaining dough . Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour , preferably overnight .

* Lightly-butter one 6-inch loose-bottom tart tin , two 8x2-cm and two 5x1.5-cm tart rings , set aside .

* Take out 155 grams portion pastry dough from the fridge , if it is a bit hard to roll , let sit for few minutes until it softens a bit . Roll dough between 2 sheets of lightly-floured plastic wrap or parchment paper , about 7-inch diameter , roll it as uniform as you can since you don't have to trim the excess dough . Peel off the top plastic wrap and place the tart tin on top of the rolled dough , invert the tin , peel off the other plastic , fit in the dough , smoothing gently all over the surface . Use the tines of the fork to poke holes all over the pastry dough . Place tin onto the baking sheet and into the freezer .

* Take out the remaining dough and roll to 3-mm thick , using a 10-cm round cutter , cut 2 pieces for the 8-cm tart rings and a 7-cm cutter for a 5-cm tart rings . Fit in dough into the prepared tart ring , poke holes all over the dough . Once you finished doing one piece , immediately place it inside the freezer and continue with the rest .

* Freeze for 1 hour before baking , no need to use pie weights . 

* Meanwhile , preheat oven to 180ÂșC . Bake the 5-cm rings for 12 minutes , the 8-cm for 18 minutes and the 6-inch tin for 21 minutes , adjust time according to the oven you're using .

* Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the baked tart shells from the pan / rings . Cool completely on a wire rack . Once cooled , place tart shells on the baking sheet .

Strawberry jelly 

5 grams gelatine sheet , soaked for 10 minutes in cold water
75 grams ( homemade ) strawberry puree
35 grams caster sugar
1 tsp strawberry paste , optional

* Place the puree and sugar in a small saucepan , stir to combine and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes . Turn off heat , squeeze off excess water from the softened gelatine and add it to the puree . Stir well until gelatine is completely dissolved . Pour jelly into a small bowl and let cool to room temperature .

* Divide jelly into the 5 tart shells , chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until set .

Green tea sponge cake , recipe adapted here

3 eggs , at least 60 grams each
90 grams sugar
100 grams cake flour
6 grams green tea powder
20 grams butter
30 grams milk

* Please click link above for how-to .

* Slice the sponge cake into 3 pieces , using a 3 3/4-inch fluted cutter , cut one piece for the 6-inch tart and two 4-cm pieces for the 8-cm tarts . Lots of leftover sponge , use it as a base for mousse tarts / cake or eat it as is .

* Place each sponge cake on top of the jelly-filled tart shells , chill until needed .

Mascarpone frosting 

125 grams ( Philly ) cream cheese , at room temperature
125 grams icing sugar
2 teaspoons matcha powder
8 oz ( Galbani ) mascarpone

* Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl , sift in icing sugar and the matcha powder . Beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy , scrape sides of the bowl as needed . Add in the mascarpone , beat at low speed for about 2 minutes until just incorporated , do not over beat the mixture .

* Spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with 1/2-inch round piping tip .

* Pipe frosting on tarts , chill for at least 2 hours before serving .

* Slice and best served with homemade fruit coulis or fresh raspberries or strawberries .





Comments

  1. That's a masterpiece, Anne. Wish I could reach in and grab one to try!

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  2. Such beautiful tarts, Anne! The colors are perfect for Christmas!!! Happy holidays, my friend! xo

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  3. Hi Anne, your tarts look too beautiful to be eaten. So cute and awesome. Thanks for sharing.... I want 2 please. :))

    Merry Christmas to you. Happy holiday.
    Amelia

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  4. Ad ogni fine segue sempre un nuovo inizio. Ti auguro di mantenere forte ed incrollabile quella determinazione che permette di percorrere la strada del successo. Auguri di buon 2017.

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  5. Wow, that is simply gorgeous! Looks too beautiful to eat, but too tempting not to not eat it!
    Hope you had a great Christmas!
    And Happy New Year!

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