Pink Candied Almond Tart

When I showed you how to make pralines roses, pink candied nuts, I promised you recipes that include them as an ingredient. So here is a tart with pink candied nuts, a specialty of the Lyon region. The result, I’m sure you’ll agree, is mouthwatering. It’s a lovely red color, the same shade as a candy apple. The sweet crust gives it crispness and the cooked cream with the chopped pralines and almonds is unctuous yet crunchy. It’s so utterly delicious it’s practically sinful. But why would anyone try to resist the temptation of discovering such unexpected flavors?

Recipe for the Pink Candied Almond Tart

Makes one 7-inch / 18 cm tart

Sweet crust:

-1 2/3 cups / 210 g flour

-1 stick / 125 g butter

-Generous 1/4 cup / 25 g finely ground blanched almonds

-1 pinch salt

-1/4 cup / 35 g confectioners’ sugar

-1 egg (2 oz. / 50 g), lightly beaten (Note: This is one large in the USA and Canada, and the -equivalent of a UK or European medium egg. 

Filling:

-9 oz. / 250 g pink candied nuts, chopped (recipe here)

-1 cup / 250 ml heavy cream, minimum 40% butterfat

First of all, make the sweet crust. You’ll only need half of the quantity for this tart, but it’s much easier and more convenient to use the quantities I give here. Then you can freeze the other half and use it for another recipe.

Place all the ingredients, with the exception of the egg, in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat with the paddle (K) beater (also known as a flat beater) of the mixer until all the butter is incorporated. You can also use a pastry cutter.

When the mixture looks like grains of sand, add the beaten egg.

Switch the mixer on again and stop it as soon as the egg has been incorporated. Not one moment more!

Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax or parchment paper.

Place another sheet over it. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough out very thinly, until it is less than 1/8 inch / 2 to 3 mm thick. If necessary, dust it very lightly with flour to prevent it from sticking to the sheets.

If it’s hot in your kitchen, the dough might be a little difficult to handle. Chill it briefly so that you can roll it out more easily.

Grease the inside of the tart ring and place it on a sheet of parchment paper set on a baking sheet. You can also use a tart pan with a detachable bottom.

Transfer the dough to the ring. Tuck it in snugly so that it makes a right angle with the rim (or fits tightly in the pan).

Trim the side with a sharp knife.

This is what a well-lined tart ring looks like!

Place a sheet of heat-proof plastic wrap over the dough and fill it with flour. For details of this technique of blind baking, click here. Tie the plastic to form a pouch and make sure the entire ring is covered with an even layer of flour.

My tip: since many baking sheets seem to buckle in the oven, creating a gap between the sheet and the tart ring, the best solution (should this happen to you too) is to place the tart ring, lined with parchment paper, inside a springform pan. This will ensure that everything remains perfectly in place.

 

Bake at 350°F / 180°C for about 20 minutes. It should start to firm up but still be white at this stage. Carefully remove the pouch of flour and prick the base of the crust with a fork. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

The crust should now be a lovely golden color. Carefully remove it from the tart ring (and springform pan, if you’re using one) and transfer it to a cooking rack.

Place the heavy cream and chopped candied nuts in a large heavy-bottomed pot.

Mix together and set over medium heat.

Soon, the cream begins to liquefy.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Check the temperature: it should reach 234°F (112°C), exactly the temperature that ensures that when the mixture cools, the texture and softness will be just right.

The cream is now red. Pour it evenly into the baked tart crust.

Allow to cool to room temperature. Serve and enjoy.