I made a slightly larger version of these tartlets a couple of weeks ago. In that version, I combined crème patisserie and buttercream to make the filling. This time I combined the same crèmepat with Italian meringue to create a creme chiboust for a lighter filling. Unfortunately, it didn’t set as well. They looked great and tasted even better but the texture of the filling was off.

I see three options here: first go back to the buttercream version, or use less than the recommended Italian meringue in an attempt to keep the creme chiboust firmer OR use agar agar to set the crèmepat firmer. (I never use gelatin in baking.)

Stay tuned, I have 5 hours to make a decision. (That’s when the second 4th of July party begins.

Raspberry Pistachio Chiboust Tartlets

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 tablespoon cold water
• 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream
• ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Crème Patisserie:
• 240 mL full-fat milk 1 c
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 25 g sugar ~ 2 generous Tbl
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs (save the egg whites from these eggs for the meringue)
• 30 g cornstarch – 4 Tbl
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 30 g butter 2 Tbl
• 3 tablespoon pistachio oil
• 1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
Italian meringue:
• 4 egg whites at room temperature
• 150 g white sugar – ¾ cup
• 80 g water – ⅓ cup
Garnish:
• fresh raspberries
• chopped white chocolate
• chopped pistachios

METHOD

Crème Patisserie

1. Whisk eggs and milk together then add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly
3. Cook until it slightly thickens (it will look lumpy, its ok)
4. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and pistachio oil and green food coloring (if using) mix thoroughly
5. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the crème patisserie and cool about an hour.
   
   Crust
6. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
7. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse sand.
8. Make a well in the middle of the pastry and pour in the ice water and egg yolk {save the white for later}; work it in with your hands until no longer overly wet and sticky. If the dough is overly crumbly, add in the heavy cream a little at a time until the pastry is relatively pliable and no longer floury.
9. Pat into a circle, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
10. Lightly flour a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out a large rectangle with the dough. Divide the dough evenly among 6 tartlet pans {you can also use one large tart pan}, pressing down the bottom and up the sides. Prick the bottoms with a fork, then top with a piece of foil. Fill the crust with pie weights or dry beans. Place in fridge for another 10 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 350F.
12. Bake tartlets for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, spoon 1-2 tablespoon of jam in the bottom of each and brush the sides of the crust with the reserved egg white. Bake for 10-12 more minutes, until lightly golden but not brown. Set aside to cool.
    
    Italian meringue
13. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil without stirring.
14. In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and mix (with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
15. Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a candy (or sugar) thermometer.
16. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C/240°F, then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously. Don’t pour the syrup onto the whisk, or the syrup may splatter against the sides of the bowl (or into your face!). Instead, aim for a spot close to the whisk.
17. Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue has cooled down to body temperature.

Assembly

1. When ready to assemble, take the pastry cream from the fridge. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then add 1/3 of the meringue and fold gently. Add another 1/3 and again fold then add the remainder and gently fold until all the white meringue is incorporated.
2. Pipe the cream evenly among the prepared tartlets, then refrigerate at least 2-3 hrs but optimally overnight.
3. Just before serving, top tarts with raspberries, white chocolate, and pistachios. Serve chilled!