Mini tarts with apple compote

To prepare the mini tarts with apple compote, first make the hazelnut shortcrust pastry: place the all-purpose flour and powdered sugar in a mixer 1, then the cold butter cut into pieces and salt 2. Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife 3 and

add them directly into the mixer 4. Blend everything until you get a sandy mixture 5. Transfer the mixture onto a work surface, add the hazelnut flour 6, and mix to combine the two mixtures. If you can't find hazelnut flour, toast 100g of hazelnuts in the oven for a few minutes and once well cooled, finely chop them in a mixer.

Create a well in the center of the flour and add the whole egg plus the 2 yolks 7 and start collecting the ingredients with your hands 8 then knead until you obtain a smooth and compact dough 9. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

After this time, take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out, with the help of a rolling pin, into a rather thin sheet, about 1/5 inch 10; if the dough turns out sticky, sprinkle with a little flour. Line 5 non-stick round tart molds, 4 inches in diameter and 1.2 inches high 11; if you don't have non-stick molds, remember to butter and flour them. Make the shortcrust pastry adhere well to the mold and then, with the rolling pin, remove the excess dough by pressing on the edges of the mold 12. Re-knead the scraps and roll them out again to line another mold.

Prick the bottom of the mini tarts with the tines of a fork 13 and proceed with blind baking (for more details see our Cooking School: how to do blind baking): place a sheet of baking paper inside the mini tarts and fill them with dried legumes so that the pastry does not swell during baking 14. Bake the mini tarts in a preheated static oven at 356°F for 15 minutes (if ventilated at 320°F for 10 minutes), then remove the beans and continue baking for another 5 minutes. Once baked, let your mini tarts cool 15.

Move on to preparing the buttercream (for the recipe sheet click here): place the sugar with the water in a thick-bottomed saucepan, let the sugar dissolve over low heat. When the sugar has dissolved, do not stir anymore and, using a food thermometer, measure that the syrup reaches 250°F 16. Meanwhile, place the yolks in a stand mixer, or work with the beaters of an electric mixer, and whisk them at medium speed 17 to obtain a light and frothy mixture. Gradually add the sugar syrup 18 and continue to whisk until the mixture is completely cooled.

While the whipped yolks are cooling, work the room-temperature butter with the seeds of the other half of the vanilla pod using a spatula until it becomes a cream, and then incorporate the butter into the whipped yolks 19. Continue to whisk to achieve a well-frothy and creamy mixture 20, which you will transfer into a piping bag and let rest in the refrigerator until ready to use 21.

Now prepare the apple compote: wash and peel the apple 22, remove the core, and cut it into small cubes 23. Cook the apple pieces in a non-stick pan over moderate heat with the butter 34 for about 3 minutes.

Deglaze with the sparkling wine (or white wine) and filtered lemon juice 25; cover with a lid 26 and let the apple compote cook for about 20 minutes, until the apples are very tender 27.

Make the puff pastry and apple roses to serve as decoration: wash the apple and cut it in half, trim it to remove the core and seeds, then slice it very thinly, 1-2 mm, keeping the apple with the flat side down 28. In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water 29, add the filtered lemon juice 30, and bring the liquid to a boil.

Add the apple slices and blanch them for 7-8 minutes 31; once ready, drain them and let them cool. Lightly roll out the pre-made puff pastry with a rolling pin 32 and cut out 10 strips about 0.4 inches wide and 4 inches long 33.

Place the slightly overlapping apple slices on the puff pastry strip 34 and roll the strip to form a small rose 35. Proceed this way until you form 10 roses. Slightly open the petals of the roses and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 36, then bake them in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes (if ventilated at 320°F for 25 minutes).

Once all the different preparations are ready, you can assemble your mini tarts with apple compote: remove the hazelnut shortcrust pastry shells from the mold and transfer them to a serving plate. Fill each mini tart first with the buttercream 37, leaving 0.2 inches from the edge 38, and then with the apple compote 39.

Dust the ready puff pastry roses with powdered sugar 40 and decorate the mini tarts with them by placing them in the center 41. Finish with a mint leaf, and here are your mini tarts with apple compote ready 42.