When not developing Recipes for Health, Martha Rose Shulman can be found ghost writing cookbooks on pastry. If you’re already familiar with Shulman and her cookbooks on healthy eating, you may find this an intriguing yet confusing discovery. As she wrote back in 2013, Martha believes in a balanced diet, and even sweets & chocolate have their place. This delectable hazelnut tart of hers is an adaptation of pastry chef(and founder of French Pastry School, Chicago) Jacquy Pfeiffer’s recipe. A tart that eats the best on the day it’s made.

Ingredients

For the pâte sablée:

• 290 grams (approx. 2 1/3 cups) flour, all-purpose, and more for dusting
• 35 grams (approx. 1/3 rounded cup) hazelnut flour
• 110 grams (approx. 1 cup) confectioners’ sugar
• 175 grams (approx. 6 ounces) French-style 82% fat butter (Plugrà etc.), at room temp. More needed for greasing pan
• 3 grams (approx. ½ rounded teaspoon) fine sea salt
• 3 grams (approx. ½ teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 80 grams egg yolk (roughly 5 yolks)

For the tart:

• 30 grams (approx. ¼ cup) whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 70 grams (approx. ¾ cup) hazelnut flour
• 70 grams (approx. ¾ cup) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 grams (approx. ¾ teaspoon) cornstarch
• 2 grams (approx. 1 teaspoon) cake flour
• 70 grams (approx. 2 ½ ounces) French-style 82% fat butter (Plugrà etc.) at room temp
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 grams (approx. ½ teaspoon) vanilla extract or paste
• 1 egg, beaten
• 12 grams (approx. 1 tablespoon) dark rum, optional
• 150 grams (approx. ½ cup) good quality raspberry jam
• 250 (approx. 9 ounces/2 cups) grams raspberries
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preparation

1. For the pâte sable: Into separate bowls, sift flour, hazelnut flour (35g) and confectioners’ sugar (110g). In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, put the butter (175g), salt (3g), and the sifted all-purpose flour. On a low speed, mix until the the flour & butter come together. Add the sifted hazelnut flour & confectioners’ sugar – on low, mix until all ingredients have just incorporated. Add the egg yolks & vanilla extract, and mix on medium just until everything comes together. Scrape out of bowl and press into a ½ in thick rectangular block. In plastic wrap, wrap airtight & place in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Unwrap your dough & portion into two equal parts. Rewrap one piece and refrigerate (or for use in another tart, freeze.)
3. Take a 9 inch metal tart pan with a removable bottom, and butter very lightly & evenly – if the butter is visible, you’ve used too much! Place parchment/baking paper or a Silpat on your work surface, and dust lightly with flour. Make your dough pliable by tapping it with a rolling pin. Roll the dough out gently, to approximately ¼ in thickness – make sure to rotate it a quarter often. Be sure to work quickly to prevent the dough warming up, and becoming sticky.
4. Cut a circle that is 1 ½ inches larger in diameter than your chosen tart pan. A simple way to accomplish this is to use a ring or larger pan as a guide – place on top of dough and cut around. Very lightly dust with flour, and remove any excess flour using a pastry brush. Loosely wrap the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it off the work surface before unrolling immediately onto the tart pan. Lightly guide the dough down the pan’s sides, ensuring there are no gaps left between the bottom & the bottom edge of the sides of the pan. Trim away any excess dough hanging over the edge using a paring knife. Place tart shell in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a minimum of one hour, but preferably overnight.
5. Tart assembly: Heat oven to 325. On a sheet pan lined with parchment, place your hazelnuts and roast for approx. 15 minutes. Take out of oven, and allow to cool for 15 minutes before placing in a bag. Seal, and use a rolling pin to gently roll over the nuts to crush them into halves. Set aside.
6. Sift together the hazelnut flour (70g), confectioners’ sugar (70g), cake flour and the cornstarch.
7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, place your butter (70g), a sprinkle of salt, and the vanilla – mix for one minute on a medium speed. Turn machine off, scrape the sides of the bowl, and add your hazelnut flour mixture. Mix on medium for another minute. Slowly add egg and continue mixing on medium until incorporated, no longer than 2 minutes. If using, add the rum and mix until it has incorporated.
8. Retrieve your tart shell from the refrigerator. Use a fork to poke holes in the dough, roughly 1 inch apart. Pipe or spoon your hazelnut cream into the bottom of the shell. Use a small offset spatula to spread it in a smooth and even layer.
9. Bake until the cream and crust are golden brown, and a paring knife can be inserted & come out clean – roughly 40 minutes. Take out of oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
10. Take the tart out of the ring, and use a small offset spatula to evenly spread a layer of raspberry jam over the surface. If you find the jam is too stiff to allow easy spreading, warm it up slightly in a small saucepan on the stove. Arrange your fresh raspberries on top of the jam. Prior to serving, sprinkle your roasted hazelnuts among the raspberries before dusting with powdered sugar. Although this tart is best eaten on the same day, it can be refrigerated for a day.

Tip

• With this recipe, there should be enough dough left over for a second tart shell.