Mango Tart
Happy almost summer, my southern hemisphere friends! And for those of you up north, drink up your hot chocolate! Summer is in full swing here in Australia and the markets are just flooded with SO many mangoes! Which could only mean- hello mango desserts! I may sound biased when I say this but this is one of the most refreshing mango tart I have ever tasted- it’s zingy from the limes, uber fresh from that beautiful mango curd with sweet- sour notes from the fresh mangoes! There’s also a subtle cosy undertone going through in the background from those cardamoms and it really ties the whole dessert together. So if you’re anything like me and is a mango lover, you’re gonna love this tart!
So let’s talk a little about this tart. I absolutely love love mangoes and if you’ve grown up in South-east Asia, I can tell you’d probably share that sentiment. Nothing screams summer to me more than mangoes and with 40C days here in Sydney, it’s only fair to indulge in a little refreshing mango dessert. I love pairing mangoes with fresh flavours like lime and basil. It makes for a perfect summer dessert that is light, refreshing yet satisfying. This particular tart has four components to it- the shortcrust pastry, mango compote, mango lime curd and fresh mangoes. Seems like a lot? I promise it’s not. Each component comes together super quick and can be made in advance for your ease. On the day of serving, all you gotta do is put it all together! If you’re feeling a little fancy, you could also make a little mango rose like I did. Look at how pretty that looks! Disclaimer- it may have taken me more than 1 attempt to get them right, just saying!
#NerdAlert
Shortcrust pastry: Shortcrust or paté sucreé is one of the most basic techniques in pastry. The reason why it is called ‘shortcrust’ is because of the texture. A good tart shell should be crisp, flaky and crumbly. It should hold its shape but should almost dissolve in your mouth when you bite into it, making it a ‘short’ bite. It’s not bread, it shouldn’t be doughy or chewy. And the way to achieve that is to ensure you’re working the dough as little as possible and keeping the pastry cold at ALL times. You want to keep your pastry as cold as possible to achieve the crumbly, flaky texture. Anytime you feel the pastry getting warm, just return it to the refrigerator to chill. Coldness is your friend.
In my recipe, I always like to follow the butter and flour method. Fat hinders gluten formation so by coating the flour with fat (butter) first, it becomes difficult for gluten strands to form when liquid (in this case eggs) is introduced to the dough. After adding the liquid, we work the dough just enough for it to come together, without giving gluten a chance to form strands and thereby achieving the crumbly texture. You can also use the creaming method where you cream the butter and sugar and then add in the flour, but I find that method has a higher chance of overworking the dough and leaving you with a tart shell that is tough and chewy and we don’t want that.
There’s a little science lesson for you for today. I hope you learnt something new and if you already knew that, I’m sorry for wasting your time SIGH. Anyhow, if you’re in the southern hemisphere and have access to mango goodness, try this recipe for an ultimate summer dessert. And for those of you folks in the northern hemisphere, bookmark this page and hold onto it until summers because trust me, you’re gonna want this! It’s a keeper. Perfect for dinner parties, dessert for two, all for yourself (like me!), perfect for anybody really. Get your aprons out and let’s get baking!
Recipe
Makes: 2x15cm tarts or 1x30cm tart
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
100g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
67g icing sugar
167g plain flour
20g almond meal
pinch of salt
33g eggs
For the mango compote:
220g mangoes, diced
25g castor sugar
2 cardamom pods, crushed
Zest of 1/4 lime
5g basil juice *
For the mango basil curd:
200g mango puree
10g lime juice
20g basil juice *
Zest of 1/2 lime
40g castor sugar
100g eggs
120g unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
Assembly:
1 large mango, peeled
Method
For the shortcrust pastry:
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, rub the flour, almond meal, icing sugar and salt together with the cold, cubed butter until all the flour is completely coated with butter, and the mixture resembles like wet sand.
Add in the egg and mix until the dough just comes together.
Transfer onto a work surface and use your hands to shape the dough into a disc. Cover with cling wrap and chill for at least an hour or preferably overnight.
To line two tarts, divide the pastry into two. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to a 3-4mm thickness, ensuring the pastry is larger than the tart case. Brush off the excess flour and roll the pastry on a rolling pin to lift and line the tart cases. Refrigerate for 30mins to an hour.
Preheat oven to 170C.
Using a sharp paring knife, trim off the excess pastry by holding the knife horizontal to the tart case edge and simultaneously rotating the tart case. To watch a video on how to line a tart shell correctly, click here.
Line the tart with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Blind bake the tart for 15-20 mins or until the edges are golden brown.
Carefully remove the pie weights and the parchment paper and return the tart to the oven for another 5-10 mins or until the bottom is golden brown as well and the tart is completely baked through. Let it cool completely.
For the mango compote:
In a small saucepan, add the mangoes, sugar, cardamom pods and lime zest. Cook on low heat until the mangoes are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated- roughly 7-9 mins. Remove from heat and add in the basil juice. Leave to cool completely.
For the mango basil curd:
In a small saucepan, mix the mango puree, lime juice, basil juice, zest and the sugar together. Heat on medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and add in the eggs. Whisk to combine and return to the heat. Cook the curd to a gentle boil, whisking continuously.
Strain in a bowl and let it cool down slightly for about 5 mins.
Add the cubed butter and use a stick blender to emulsify, until all the butter is well incorporated. Cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator to set until firm.
Assembly:
To serve, cut the mango into thin slices along the length.
Assemble the tart by spreading a thin layer of mango compote at the bottom.
Spread a layer of mango basil curd to fill the tart shell three quarters.
Arrange the mango slices outwards in to resemble a flower. Serve immediately.
Notes:
To make basil juice, blanch 15g of basil leaves. In a small saucepan, boil together 10g sugar and 60g water. Add the basil leaves and sugar syrup to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain and use.
If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on Instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow long here:
