Green Tea Tart

When it comes to cakes and ice-cream, green tea is one of my favorite flavors. What about green tea tart? Oh yeah that got me curious. So far I’ve make this tart twice and I think there is still room for improvement. I just don’t know how to make the filling set correctly. The first time, I have overcooked filling. It has slight burned milk taste but were good enough for me to wipe the tart clean. The second time, I baked the tart for about 13 minutes (time lessen), and that too have some burned milk taste and ‘pimple’ surface. Arggh! I hope my 3rd time will be a charm! Or perhaps it’s suppose to be like that? Can anyone clarify this?

Yums!

Anyway it was during the making of this green tea tart that I learned the rolling pastry between cling films method. Prior to this I was shaping pastry (while making vanilla custard tart) right from the flan pan using bare-hand! Rolling pin won’t work at that time because my pastry gets warm real fast due to the weather.

Ok, let’s make the tart!

First, mix chilled butter and flour until crumbly.

Next add egg and sugar. Then add ‘cold’ water and mix to form a dough. Press it flat and wrap with plastic, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll pastry between 2 cling films large enough to fit into a 9″ pan. This is my favorite way to roll pastry! Do you notice the creases that the plastic wrap makes? It looks horrible right? But then you know what? Nobody will see it except U! (in this case my readers as well)

Press the side and bottom so that the pastry won’t shrink during baking (make sure no air pocket). Also remember to prick bottom of pastry to prevent from puffing up during baking. Now freeze it for 15 minutes (freezing eliminate the use of baking beans). Bake at 190^oC for 15 minutes. Leave it to cool.

Now for the filling,

Pre-mix sugar, salt and green tea powder.
This green tea powder of mine has amazing ‘original’ taste. Love it.

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Place whipping cream in a saucepan. Add the pre-mix powder. Cook until it boils. Set aside to cool.

Add egg white, egg yolks and milk. Mix well and let the mixture go through a sieve. Lastly pour the filling into the semi-baked pastry shell. Bake at 190^oC until set.

One of the reason I love this tart so much despite the lacking outcome (filling set issue and pimple-y/wrinkles surface) is because of the amazing flaky crust. Make sure you use good butter.

This pastry crust pair really well with green tea and the sweetness of the green tea filling is just perfect. You can add whipped cream on the tart. As for me I enjoy eating it as it is without any flavour disturbance from other source. 🙂

Green Tea Tart
Adapted from Irresistible Pastry
Makes one 9″ tart

Recipe for Shortcrust pastry
* The weight of pastry is 480g.
250g flour
150g butter, diced and chilled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg yolk
40g water ‘cold’

Filling
300g whipping cream
55g sugar
pinch of salt
5g green tea powder
1 egg white
2 egg yolks
60g milk

250g shortcrust pastry

Method:
To make pastry:
1. Mix butter with flour until crumbly. You can use mixer or by hand.

2. Add egg and sugar. Then add water and mix to form a dough. Shape dough into a ball and press it flat. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Note: The weight of shortcrust pastry is 480g. For this green tea tart, it needs 250g pastry. I usually divide it into 2 equal portions (240g each). Use 1 part and keep the other in freezer for my next tart.

3. Roll the shortcrust pastry between 2 sheets of cling film to 3mm thickness.

4. Line a 9″ pie mould with the rolled pastry. Chill it for about 20 minutes in the fridge.

Note: Instead of chilling it, I freeze the dough for 15 minutes and prick bottom crust with fork; this will prevent shell from puffing during baking. It also eliminate the use of baking beans.

5. Blind bake the pastry shell at 190^oC for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for additional 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Note: Since I don’t use baking beans, I bake for 20 minutes straight.

To make filling & final bake:
1. Add sugar, salt and green tea powder and whipping cream in a bowl. Mix well and cook until it boils. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Add egg white, egg yolks and milk to the cool mixture. Stir well until combin and sieve it.

Note: If the green tea powder you use has a strong flavor, reduce its portion slightly.

2. Pour filling into the pastry shell. Bake at 190^oC until set, about 10 minutes or more (depending on your oven).

Note: Over baking will puff the filling up. Wrinkles will appear when the tart is cool and the filling shrinks.

Happy baking!