Talk about a showstopper: this stunning tart features layers of fragrant pistachio frangipane and raspberry jam in a crisp pistachio shortcrust, studded with fresh raspberries and topped with swirls of luscious whipped pistachio and white chocolate ganache.
This colorful and impressive dessert might look fancy and complicated, but it’s actually easier to make than it looks! The whipped ganache is made the day ahead of time then whipped to fluffy, puffy perfection, and the crust and frangipane filling come together surprisingly quickly too with the help of a food processor and electric mixer (but you could also make the frangipane in the food processor as well).
The first time I made this (for a Hanukkah dinner with our friends, ironic considering the colors make it look like it’s straight from the Grinch’s kitchen), I just made a simple tart crust and the filling of pistachio frangipane and fresh raspberries. No jam layer, and definitely no whipped ganache (sad, I know).
And it looked cute enough and tasted more than fine, but certainly nothing to write home about.
And if there’s anything I want more than anything, it’s to share recipes that are worth writing home about! Writing anyone in fact, I do so love it when my recipes are shared.
So when it came time to make it again, I added a layer of raspberry jam under the frangipane, and topped it with swirls of fluffy pistachio whipped ganache. With those two additions, it became clear, quite quickly, that this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever made. All the flavors and textures come together so beautifully in the end, making each and every bite a truly transcendent experience.
Together, pistachio and raspberry make for a vibrant, eye-catching (and mouth-watering) pairing that balances the rich earthiness of the pistachio with the bright fruitiness of the raspberry.
The combination of pistachio and raspberry just screams romance to me, don’t you agree?
Which is why I think this tart would make an excellent Valentine’s day dessert (which is why I’m rushing to post it on a Sunday afternoon when I’d usually be parked on the sofa reading. You’re welcome.)
But also… the red and green palette would make it perfect for Christmas too (the Grinch would approve), so I’m also putting it in my holiday category for later. Even if you can’t make it right this minute, it’s surely worth a bookmark!
Frangipane is a rich, spreadable, nutty cream filling usually made from almonds (think the center of an almond croissant… that’s frangipane). It’s often mixed with fruit and baked to puffy perfection. If you’ve watched any recent season of Bake Off you’ve probably seen it a time or two.
In the case of this recipe, I’ve abandoned the almond in lieu of pistachio, making for a gorgeously green, gloriously gourmet dessert that looks way more complicated than it actually is. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert to instantly impress, look no further.
Crust the Process.
The crust is a fairly simple shortcrust with a little bit of pistachio for color. It’s a pretty forgiving dough that is much easier to work with than pie crust, due to the added egg yolk and the tiny pieces of butter (we’re looking for tender here, not flaky like pie crust which is when you want big, visible pieces of butter).
You can make the crust ahead of time, and chill or even freeze it before or after rolling. If you freeze it before rolling, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling out. If you freeze the already rolled and shaped dough, you can par-bake it straight from frozen.
Note that this recipe makes enough shortcrust dough for a 10 or 11-inch tart. If you’re only making a 9-inch one, any excess can be rewrapped and refrigerated for another use. Or, cut out small ‘cookies’ and bake them on a cookie sheet for a few minutes, they make a great crunchy, nutty snack.
Let’s talk about our fillings.
The filling is a pistachio frangipane that is studded with fresh raspberries and then baked until puffed and lightly golden brown.
I whipped it up in my stand mixer, but I’ve also seen recipes that call for a food processor if you didn’t want to deal with getting out multiple small appliances. If you want to try to do it by hand your filling might not be quite as fluffy (mix that butter and sugar together as good as you possibly can), but even a flat frangipane is better than no frangipane, I say!
The frangipane filling can be made and used immediately (your par-baked crust should be mostly cool at this point), or chilled in an airtight container until ready to use (up to 5 days). Let it come to room temperature before using it, you can also re-whip it slightly if you want it fluffier and easier to work with.
While the tart can be filled or baked a day ahead of time (just cover with foil and refrigerate), the raspberries will shrink a bit more the longer it sits (which you can sort of see comparing the image below, which is right out of the oven, with the image of me piping the whipped ganache a bit farther down, as I baked the tart the day before). But seeing as they’re just going to get covered up with the ganache, I didn’t think it mattered all that much.
Oh my ganache.
Finally, the pièce de résistance: the whipped pistachio ganache topping. This is a white chocolate-based ganache with pistachio cream added for flavor and a pale green color. Because it is a whipped ganache, the ratio of cream to chocolate is much higher, 3:1 in this case (vs standard ganaches which are typically 1:1 or even 1:2).
This ganache needs to chill fully before whipping, so plan ahead and make it the day before if you can!
When you’re ready to decorate your tart, whip the ganache to soft peaks (take care not to overwhip or it will get thick and grainy), and spread or pipe onto your tart. I finished mine with fresh raspberries and slivered pistachios for a minimal yet elegant appearance, but you can decorate it however you please. Top it with a full layer of raspberries even (in which case just spread the ganache, don’t bother with piping).
I used a saint honore piping tip (Ateco #882 to be exact) for my ganache; it’s a unique v-shaped tip that makes lovely elegant wave or shell-like patterns.
While the ganache needs to be piped pretty quickly after whipping, once it’s piped it can be refrigerated and keeps quite well for a couple days! It doesn’t set up as hard as regular ganache, but won’t ‘wilt’ like whipped cream would either.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Pistachios: both the crust and frangipane filling call for pistachio flour or finely ground pistachios. I had some coarser ground pistachios leftover from other recipe tests that I used in the crust (which is why it looks a bit speckly). I saved my best homemade pistachio flour for the filling since I wanted a striking green color.
If you start with whole pistachios rather than pistachio flour, be sure to read the very first step carefully if you don’t want to end up washing your food processor twice! Basically, grind the pistachios for the filling first (with a little bit of flour), and put that aside. Then, grind a smaller quantity of pistachios (also with a little flour) for the crust, which you can leave in the processor and proceed with the crust portion of the recipe. Yay for less dishes!
For the filling, you can also use a blend of pistachio and almond flours (since I know pistachios aren’t cheap!)
Pistachio extract: the filling needs a little extra pistachio flavor to really shine. For this recipe I used LorAnn super strength pistachio flavor, if you use other brands or varieties of extract may necessitate a slightly higher amount. I know I can’t technically tell you to taste the batter and see (I mean, *I* did, but raw eggs and all that so you know be safe and all), but the smell is also a good indicator of final flavor if you’re unsure how much to add.
Pistachio cream: the ganache calls for pistachio cream, which is a processed, sweetened pistachio spread (think Nutella, just pistachio and white chocolate). You can use pistachio butter instead, however your ganache will have a more speckled/rustic appearance. I’ve also found most pistachio cream products have a more recognizable, pistachio gelato-like flavor; pistachio butter is more of an earthy pistachio taste.
White chocolate: for the ganache, using high quality, real white chocolate is very important (not white baking chips). Look for cocoa butter as the first ingredient. I used Republica de Cacao, which is one of the few white chocolates I’ve found that doesn’t have that overpowering ‘fake’ vanilla aftertaste. Other good brands to look for are Callebaut, Valrhona, and Cacao Barry.
Raspberries: this recipe calls for fresh raspberries, and cannot be made with frozen (they’re too juicy and deformed). One 6 oz container of raspberries should be the perfect amount; set aside a dozen or so of the prettiest berries to decorate, and the rest can go in the filling.
Raspberry Jam: this could be omitted without affecting the overall outcome, though it really adds a nice punch of raspberry flavor in addition to the fresh berries.
Raspberry & Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Whipped Pistachio Ganache
Talk about a showstopper: this stunning tart features layers of rich pistachio frangipane studded with fresh raspberries, raspberry jam, and swirls of luscious whipped pistachio and white chocolate ganache.
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If you are starting with whole pistachios rather than pistachio flour, start by grinding the 150 grams of pistachios for the filling with the 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour until finely ground. Dump into a bowl and set aside; you’ll use this for the filling. Then, add 24 grams of pistachios with 2 tablespoons of flour and pulse to finely chop; this smaller amount will be used for the crust. (This way there’s no need to wash the food processor more than once!)
For Ganache:
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Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl.
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Heat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a small saucepan. DO NOT heat all of the cream; the rest of it needs to be cold or at least cool, or it may not whip up properly.
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When the cream starts to steam and just barely bubble around the edges (do not let it fully boil), pour over chopped white chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then gently whisk in concentric circles until chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
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Add pistachio cream and whisk to combine (you can also use an immersion blender for the smoothest ganache). Finally, mix in remaining 3/4 cup of cold heavy cream. Press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the ganache, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, 6-8 hours or ideally overnight.
For Crust:
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In the bowl of a food processor combine flour and pistachio flour (or if you’ve just chopped the smaller quantity of pistachios with some flour, add the rest of the flour) along with powdered sugar, and salt and pulse a few times until evenly mixed.
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Sprinkle cubes of cold butter over top of flour, then pulse a couple of times until there are no chunks of butter larger than a lentil (we’re not making pie crust here).
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Add egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of ice water, then pulse a few more times until evenly moistened. Pinch a bit of the dough between your fingers; if it sticks together, it’s done. If it’s still crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough starts to clump together.
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Dump contents of food processor onto a piece of plastic wrap and gather up the dough, kneading once or twice until it comes together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If chilling longer, let it come to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before rolling.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled tart dough out to 1/4-inch thick (tart crusts are thinner than standard pie crusts). This recipe makes enough dough for a slightly larger tart if necessary, so you’ll want to roll it to a 14 to 15-inch circle regardless of what size tart pan you’re using.
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Carefully transfer the rolled dough to a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with removeable bottom. Ease the dough into the corners, trying not to stretch it. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to trim the dough to the edge. The scraps can be re-rolled and refrigerated for another use, or feel free to cut them into pieces to bake into bite size cookies to snack on while you bake!
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Refrigerate shaped crust for at least 30 minutes or freeze for at least 20 minutes until hard. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F while the crust chills.
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Remove the crust from the fridge and place on a cookie sheet. Poke the bottom a handful of times with a fork. Crumple up a piece of parchment paper and line the inside of the chilled crust; fill with pie weights, dried beans, or I like to use granulated sugar.
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Bake for 16-18 minutes or until you start to see light browning around the top rim. Remove from oven and carefully lift out parchment and weights, then return to the oven to bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes to dry it out; if it starts to get too brown around the edges, you can cover the rim with foil as needed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
For Filling:
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Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
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Combine pistachio flour (or a mix of almond and pistachio flours) in a bowl along with flour and salt, whisking until evenly incorporated. If you already combined these together in the food processor to chop the pistachios, just add the salt.
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In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, a solid 3 to 5 minutes.
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Add one egg, increasing the mixer speed as needed until fully incorporated, followed by half of pistachio flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Repeat with the second egg and remaining pistachio flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once. Mix in pistachio extract.
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Spread raspberry jam in a thin layer in bottom of cooled tart crust.
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Then, add the pistachio frangipane mixture on top. I find it easiest to pipe this on top of the jam rather than spreading it.
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Press about 5 ounces of the raspberries evenly over the top of the frangipane, reserving a few berries to decorate the finished tart.
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Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until pistachio filling is puffed, no longer wiggly, and starting to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. You can decorate and serve this right away, it’ll also keep covered in the refrigerator overnight if necessary.
Final assembly/decoration:
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To whip the ganache, remove plastic wrap from surface of chilled ganache. With an electric mixer, beat until ganache thickens and just barely holds soft peaks. This will happen much faster than whipped cream, so keep a close eye on it as soon as it begins to thicken and hold tracks. Do not overmix or the ganache will be too thick and grainy.
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Transfer whipped ganache to a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto the fully cooled tart; you can also just spread it in rustic swoops instead of piping if you prefer. Top with more fresh raspberries and chopped pistachios as desired before slicing and serving.
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Tart is best served the same day, but will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days if necessary (it’s hard to cover because of the soft ganache, but if you have a round tupperware that would fit it, that would work great).
- Pistachio cream is a smooth, sweetened spread (like a pistachio Nutella). You can use pistachio butter, though it will make for a more rustic looking ganache with a speckled appearance.
- I used LorAnn super strength pistachio flavor; 1/4 teaspoon would be enough, or 1/2 teaspoon if you want a more intense pistachio flavor. Other brands of pistachio extract might need a higher quantity. Alternatively, substitute with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.
All images and text © for Love & Olive Oil.
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