JOIN USGo Tartish
Sour cherry brandy whispers in the iconic black forest cake and pies, tart fruit slices atop the creamy Pavlova, the dry curd bellied New York cheesecake...there is something about the tanginess of sour desserts that makes your heart simply sing.
Especially when you look for more than an exceedingly sweet conclusion to your meal. “The combination of sweet and tangy elevates the eclectic variety of flavours that a dessert has the offer,” says chef Guntas, homebaker from Le Cordon Bleu, London. “The tartness rings a bell on your tongue while cutting through the sweetness, and this is what makes a sour dessert perfect.”
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founder, TOSHIN Patisserie
True. If beating your sweet tooth is one of your oft-recited new year resolutions, double up on your resolve. Sour desserts are rocking the tangy treats circuit with great aplomb. It is a delicious divide but one that piques your appetite. The acidity of the magic inclusion ramps up the flavour quotient from humble to heavenly in an instant. “Tartish desserts are generally light to eat,” says Toshin Shetty, chocolatier and founder, Toshin Patisserie. “They are highly recommended if you feel like eating something light after a heavy meal,” he says, having come up with the ‘Winter’ dessert, a 64 per cent single origin dark chocolate ganache of Madagascar cocoa beans and candied ginger with orange segments on crispy ginger tartlet. “I have used cinnamon in the ten tart shell to balance out the tartness of oranges. Ginger brings spiciness to the dessert.”
But what if chocolate isn’t your poison? Says chef Rachel Goenka, founder and CEO of Chocolate Spoon Company (The Sassy Spoon, House of Mandarin), “Sour desserts work beautifully for those who aren’t too fond of chocolate. I love using balsamic vinegar as it pairs really well with chocolate as well. It cuts through otherwise heavy ingredients like cheese, making a great pairing with cheese based desserts. Other superb tart inducing ingredients are sour cherries; lemon, passion fruit and cranberries.Passion fruit cheesecake is something I love. Traditionally the sour cherries aren’t as sweet as the black forest cakes you find today though they are supposed to be!”
Sour cherries come complete with rich reserves of acidity to mate perfectly with sugar. That adds a degree of complexity to the dessert, enough to pique your appetite. For non-berry addicts, there is more.
Says chef Rohan D Souza, known for his gourmet symphonies, “I have worked extensively with rhubarb and kumquat during my earlier culinary days in the UK. Nothing makes a more delicious treat for a high tea menu that a good rhubarb scone,”
“That is the best part about tart desserts that you have the momentary space you enter to identify and savour the distinctive taste of the ingredient that has been used. It also leads you to mull over the technique that has been used to create the dish. Tart desserts are an acquired taste. Not everyone will like it with the first bite they take. However, once you are hooked on to it, the uniqueness of the flavours never leaves you,” says Lawrence Amalraj, executive chef, InterContinental, Chennai Mahabalipuram, who relishes the memory of tucking in grape popsicles during his school days: a sweet treat in the dry Tanjavur heat.
Sometimes it is the power punch that the level of tartness brings with itself, that allures. “Like super sour lemon candies always take me down my childhood memory lane,” shares Toshin. “They are my favourite and I love to watch the expression of people as they savour it. Then there are uncommon inclusions in the sour dessert ingredient caddy too.”
Lawrence has gone about making use of tamarind and kokum in prized sorbets. “The sorbet brings in a much loved, lingering kokum flavour on the tongue,” he shares.
What is that one aspect though that you need to keep in mind while making tart desserts? Says chef Rohan Dsouza. “With regards to technique most tart ingredients involve fruit and no major technique is required besides bathing it in a sweeter syrup if the fruit is on the extreme tart side. The perfect symphony lies in the balance of sweet and sour profiles in the final dish for a delectable conclusion to your dining.”
Dig in with relish.
Recipes to try
Tamarind and Malta Orange Gluten-free tart
(by Chef Rohan D Souza)
For gluten-free coconut and almond base
- Ground almond - 275 gm
- Grated coconut - 115 gm
- Coconut flour - 120 gm
- Coconut oil - 50 gm
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - 3 tsp
- Honey - 175 gm
- Water - 4 tbsp
- Pinch of salt
Method
In a large bowl add the ground almond together with the grated coconut, the coconut flour and salt.
Mix with a spoon.
Add the honey together with the coconut oil and start to integrate the ingredients and mix well.
Incorporate the cocoa powder and mix.
Add the water little by little at the same time. We will have to get a dough that does not break but without exceeding when hydrated; transfer the mixture to the mold.
Once we have all the mixture distributed use small rolling pin or hands to level the mixture.
Bake at 175 degrees C for 12 minutes.
Tamarind Malta Orange Cream
(by Chef Rohan D Souza)
- Malta orange juice, approximately 6 oranges - 540 gm
- Sage leaves (optional) - 16
- Tamarinds (large) - 4-5
- Eggs - 3 large
- Unsalted butter - 85 gm
- Sugar - 175 gm
- 4 1/3 gelatin sheets - 8 gm
Method
Fill a bowl with very cold water and soak gelatin sheets inside to hydrate them.
Squeeze the blood oranges to obtain the juice & Pour into a blender and add the chopped sage leaves together with the tamarind flesh.
Add the butter in a medium saucepan and heat to medium low. Let it melt completely.
Pour the orange juice together with the sugar and eggs.
Cook to medium heat without stopping stirring this way we will avoid that avoid lumps.
Cook stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 181,4ºF/83ºC. It is important that the mixture does not reach boiling point. once it cools down add the gelatin leaves air till it dissolves.
Pour it in the tart base and let it set overnight.
Tangy Tarts
(by Chef Guntas)
Tart - Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - 2 cups
- Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
- Cold butter (cut into cubes) - 3/4 cup
Method
In a food processor, combine the flour and powdered sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the mixture looks sandy and the butter is fully incorporated into the flour and sugar.
Place an 10-inch tart pan on a baking sheet. Pour the crust mixture into the pan. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown @180*c
Lemon curd (Ingredients)
- Egg yolks - 4 large
- Granulated sugar - 120 gm
- Zest of one lemon
- Fresh juice of lemons - 3
- Pinch of salt
- Unsalted butter (at room temperature) - 80 gm
Method
Whisk and cook the yolks, sugar salt, lemon juice and lemon rind on a double boiler until the mixture becomes thick, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
Remove pan from heat. Cut the butter into pieces, then stir into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. Pour curd onto the cooked tart shell.
Serve topped with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.
'Winter'
(by Chef Toshin)
64% single origin dark chocolate ganache of Madagascar cocoa beans and candied ginger and orange segments on crispy Ginger tartlet.
Chocolate ganache
- 64% Madagascar Single Origin Dark chocolate - 500 gm
- Whipping cream - 200 ml
- Soft unsalted butter - 60 gm
- Candied ginger and orange segments
- Tart Shell - 12 no Soft flour - 180 gm
- Cocoa powder - 20 gm
- Grated ginger - 35 gm
- Unsalted butter - 100 gm
- Egg - 1
- Salt - 5 gm
- Caster sugar - 5 gm
- Water - 10 ml
- Vanilla extract - 3 drops
Method
Tart Shell
Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until just combined. Add the whole egg with vanilla extract mix for 30 seconds.
Add the flour, salt and grated ginger; process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together. Knead lightly on a kitchen table with floured surface, then shape into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170°C, Lightly grease tart shells. Roll the pastry dough as thinly as possible and cut accordingly (eg. 10 cm tart shell base should be cut with 11 cm cutter). Line the tart shells with the pastry dough, so that it overhangs the edges. Use a sharp knife to trim off the excess pastry dough, prick the base with a fork and rest for 25 minutes in the fridge.
Blind bake the tart shells in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until edges are golden. Then remove the blind baking beans and bake it further for 10 more minutes. Then cool the shells on a wire rack.
Chocolate Ganache
Temper the dark chocolate, heat the whipping cream to 44°C, add the cream in three incursions to the tempered chocolate, use whisk to mix gently without incorporating air . Fold the soft unsalted butter to the ganache.
Assembly (from bottom to top)
Pipe the chocolate ganache to the top of the tart shells.
Refrigerate the tarts for 30 minutes, then decorate it as you desire.