Nutmeg, Jaggery & Chocolate Tart
This nutmeg spiced custard tart, with a rich jaggery chocolate ganache on top is a cosy slice of heaven! That nutmeg custard is rich and so comforting, it feels like eating a warm hug. Paired with a smooth, luscious jaggery chocolate ganache, you’re in for a real treat.
This tart is inspired by the very famous & loved South Indian (Goan) dessert- Bebinca. If you’ve never heard of Bebinca, here’s a brief summary- Bebinca is a 7 layered sticky cake that dates back to the 17th century. Made with a very few simple ingredients, each layer is baked one at a time, creating those distinct iconic layers that Bebinca is known for. Imagine a custard that is baked, with layers of ghee (clarified butter) in between. Incredibly aromatic, and so delicious! If you’d like to read more about the history of this dessert, you can do so here.
A little back story about this tart: back in 2017, I had my very first kitchen gig, interning at a Goan-Portuguese restaurant in Mumbai, India. It was there I first learned how to make Bebinca and boy, oh boy, was it good?! I can still vividly remember the taste of it- so smooth, so much flavour with such few simple ingredients and the texture was to die for. That was the start of my professional career and I was fortunate enough to have had an incredible experience learning so much about pastry, organisation, team-work, efficiency, etc., that truly solidified my passion for wanting to be a pastry chef.
So this particular tart is kind of an homage to those days- the very beginning of pursuing my dream :))
This tart holds a very special meaning to my heart and I hope you enjoy it. It might seem fancy, but really, in essence, it is quite a simple tart that will make your heart smile. Make it with love. Enjoy xx
Recipe
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the sweet shortcrust pastry:
100g unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
67g icing sugar, sifted
20g almond meal
167g plain flour
pinch of salt
33g whole eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk mixed with 30g cream, for egg wash
For the nutmeg custard:
70g egg yolks
85g caster sugar
17g plain flour
300g coconut milk
100g heavy cream
1/4 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
1g salt
For the jaggery chocolate ganache:
70g jaggery, grated
35g water
35g heavy cream (a)
80g good quality dark chocolate (I use Callebaut 811 54.5%)
1g sea salt
120g heavy cream (b)
cocoa nibs, for decoration
Method
For the sweet shortcrust pastry:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the dry ingredients along with the frozen butter. Mix until all the flour is completely coated with butter, and the mixture resembles like wet sand.
With the mixer still running, once the dough starts to clump together, 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 4 hours or preferably overnight.
The next day, line the tart- on a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to 3-4mm thickness, ensuring the pastry is larger than the tart case. Brush off the excess flour and line the tart case. Don’t cut the excess pastry yet. Freeze for 15mins. (I use an 8” fluted tart ring)
Using a sharp paring knife, trim off the excess pastry by holding the knife horizontal to the tart case edge while simultaneously rotating the tart case. Freeze the tart completely. To watch a video on how to line a tart shell correctly, click here.
Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced) or 180°C (deck oven).
Line the tart with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Blind bake the tart for 30-40 mins or until the edges are golden brown and the bottom of the tart no longer looks wet.
Carefully remove the pie weights and the parchment paper and return the tart to the oven for another 8-10 mins or until the bottom is well baked and the tart is deep golden brown throughout.
Eggwash the baked tart and bake for another 3-5 mins. Let it cool completely. Note: you can bake the tart a day in advance and keep covered at room temperature.
For the nutmeg custard:
Preheat oven to 150°C (both fan-forced and deck oven).
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until well combined and slightly pale in colour ~ 1-2 mins.
Add the plain flour and whisk to combine well.
Add the coconut milk and heavy cream and whisk to combine well.
Lastly, add the salt and grated nutmeg and whisk to combine well. Strain the mixture using a fine sieve.
Pour the custard into the baked tart, careful to not introduce a lot of air bubbles.
Bake for 30-34 mins or until the custard is set with a slight jiggle in the middle. Cool down completely. (Do not remove the tart from the ring yet.)
Refrigerate for an hour. You can also refrigerate the tart overnight, however, it will make the tart base a little soft.
For the jaggery chocolate ganache:
Place the chocolate in a medium measuring jug.
In a small pot, add the grated jaggery, water and heavy cream (a). Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally to emulsify well.
Pour the hot jaggery caramel over the chocolate. Emulsify using an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can also use a whisk to emulsify well.
Add the heavy cream (b) and salt and emulsify again.
Place a cling wrap on the surface of the ganache and cool to 32°C.
Pour the ganache over the cooled tart, careful to not introduce any air bubbles. Swirl the tart around to spread the ganache into an even layer. If you see any air bubbles, pop them using a blow torch or a toothpick.
Refrigerate for an hour or until the ganache sets. Garnish with cocoa nibs if you want.
Remove the tart from the ring. Use a hot knife to cut into slices. Enjoy with a cup of coffee. Bon appetite!
If you love tarts as much as I do, here are some more delicious recipes you can try:
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 along here:
