This elegant tart is guaranteed to impress. A touch of bitter espresso balances the sweetness of the white chocolate, and the pistachio paste makes the filling super silky and softly set. Make sure you use a pistachio paste or butter that’s made from pure pistachios, rather than pistachio cream, which contains extra sugar.
This pistachio and cardamom tart is fit for a dinner party showstopper! Topped with white chocolate and set in a coffee and cardamom crust, what's not to love?
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Yields:
8
Prep Time:
1 hr
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Cal/Serv:
717
Ingredients
For the crust
75g
unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
100g
dark chocolate
1tsp.
espresso powder
200g
digestive biscuits
8
green cardamom pods, seeds finely ground, husks discarded
For the filling
250ml
milk
3
medium egg yolks
2Tbsp.
cornflour
25g
caster sugar
275g
white chocolate, chopped
50g
pistachio paste/butter, see intro
200ml
double cream
For the topping
50g
white chocolate, melted
1Tbsp.
roughly chopped pistachios
Directions
Step 1Grease and line the base of a 20.5cm (see GH TIP) loose-bottomed fluted tart tin. For the tart crust, melt the butter, chocolate and espresso powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Whizz biscuits and 1/2 the ground cardamom in a food processor until finely crushed (alternatively bash in a food bag with a rolling pin). Add melted butter and chocolate mixture and pulse/mix until combined. Tip into the prepared tin and press evenly into the base and up the sides. Chill until needed.
Step 2Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat milk and remaining ground cardamom in a pan over low-medium heat until steaming. Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a large heatproof bowl until combined. Gradually whisk hot milk into the egg mixture, until smooth. Return mixture to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until very thick. Remove from heat. Add the chopped white chocolate, pistachio paste/butter and a pinch of salt and whisk gently until melted and combined. Scrape into a bowl or jug, close-cover the surface with clingfilm (to prevent a skin forming) and leave to cool completely.
Step 3Once the filling has cooled, whisk cream to stiff peaks using a handheld electric whisk. Add the cooled pistachio custard to the cream and whisk to combine. Spoon into the tart base and smooth to level. Chill for at least 6hr (ideally overnight), until set.
Step 4Once set, carefully remove from tin and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand. Drizzle over the melted white chocolate and sprinkle with pistachios. Serve immediately.
GH TIP:
Some fluted tart tins take their measurements from the base, and some from the widest point to point. We used a tart tin that measures 20.5cm at the base and 23cm at the top.
GET AHEAD:
Prepare to end of step 3 a day ahead; chill. Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days.
Per serving:
Calories: 717
Protein: 10g
Total fat: 50g
Saturates: 27g
Carbs: 56g
Total sugars: 39g
Fibre: 1g
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).