Composed of hazelnut cream filling baked in a tart crust and then topped with chocolate ganache, this tart known as Tarte Piémontaise in French is rich, decadent and absolutely delicious!
Components
There are three components in this recipe:
- The tart crust which serves as the base. We’ll be making hazelnut pâte sucrée today. Simply mix together butter and sugar then add ground hazelnuts, salt, egg and flour.
- Hazelnut cream which will be spread over the partially baked crust. Just mix a few ingredients together in a food processor and you’re done!
- Chocolate ganache to decorate the tart once it has been baked and cooled down.
Okay, now that you have an overview, let’s get into all the details!
Hazelnut Pâte Sucrée
Mixing the dough
- Place the butter in a large bowl. It should be very soft so that you can easily incorporate the other ingredients.
Tip: Press the butter against the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it’s soft enough. If it isn’t, let it warm up a bit longer at room temperature. Alternatively, briefly heat it in the microwave for a few seconds until softened, not melted.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix with a spatula until combined. The mixture will look creamy.
- Mix in the ground hazelnuts and salt.
- Add the egg and whisk just until fully incorporated.
Tip: Mix the dough as little as possible. We want to avoid incorporating air into the dough so it doesn’t puff up during baking.
Tip: Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled. It will come together once you add the flour. Just make sure you are using room temperature ingredients.
- Pour the flour into the bowl and using the spatula or a bench scraper, “cut” through the dough in small, repetitive, vertical movements. The dough will slowly come together. It’s ready when you can gather it into a ball.
Tip: By simply cutting through the dough, you are less likely to overwork it. If the dough is overmixed, too much gluten will form yielding an elastic dough that shrinks in the oven.
Rolling out the dough
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper and flatten into a rectangle with your hands. Top with another large piece of parchment paper. Then roll out the dough into a 28 cm (11 inch) circle about 3 mm thick (1/8 inch), enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
Tip: Make sure the parchment paper isn’t creased for a smooth surface. You can use two large silicone mats instead, if available.
- Place on a flat baking sheet. Chill for at least 1 hour or until the dough is no longer sticky and you can easily peel off the parchment paper.
Tip: If you accidentally overworked the dough, it’s best to chill it overnight to weaken the gluten.
Lining the tart pan
- Take the dough out of the fridge about 5 minutes before lining the pan. If it’s too cold, it will start to crack. Too warm and it will be sticky.
Tip: The dough is at the right temperature when: 1) It isn’t sticky and you can easily peel off the parchment paper. 2) It is flexible (not stiff) when you gently lift the sides of the parchment paper.
- Line a 23 cm (9 inch) tart pan with dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough and return to the fridge for an hour (or freeze for 15 minutes). If you’re not sure how to do this, you might like to read How to line a tart pan with pastry.
Baking the tart crust
- Place a shallow oven tray in the bottom third of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F, conventional setting).
- Bake the cold tart for about 23 minutes or until the crust feels dry and the edges of the tart are just starting to brown.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack (in the pan) to cool down for about 15 minutes while you prepare the hazelnut cream.
Hazelnut Cream
The hazelnut cream is composed of hazelnuts, sugar, butter, eggs and hazelnut praline paste. You can use hazelnut flour instead of hazelnuts. But since it can be hard to find, I like to make it myself by grinding toasted hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor. Adding the sugar gives us a bit more time to mix before the hazelnuts start to form a paste (which we don’t want).
- Place the hazelnuts and sugar in a small food processor bowl. Pulse several times in 1-second increments until the mixture looks powdery. Don’t mix for too long so it doesn’t form a paste.
- Add the softened butter and mix briefly to combine.
- Mix in the egg and praline paste just until combined.
- Pour into the slighted cooled tart crust. Spread evenly with a large spoon.
- Return the filled tart to the oven (bottom third). Bake for about 23 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
- Transfer to a wire rack (in the pan). Cool down completely at room temperature before topping with chocolate ganache (so it doesn’t melt).
Chocolate Ganache
The ganache is traditionally chilled then piped onto the hazelnut cream. The tricky part is getting it at the right temperature so it’s easy to pipe. Too warm and it won’t hold peaks. Too cold and it will be too firm to pipe.
If you’d rather not pipe the ganache, you can simply spread it over the hazelnut cream like frosting.
If you want a smoother surface and just a thin layer of ganache, you could try pouring a little bit of the warm ganache (still runny) over the hazelnut cream. But this can be a bit tricky to do without it spilling over the sides. Then to decorate, you could simply pipe a few dots of ganache along the edge of the tart.
And that’s it! Hope you enjoy!
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Hazelnut Cream Tart (Tarte Piémontaise)
Composed of hazelnut cream filling baked in a tart crust and then topped with chocolate ganache, this tart known as Tarte Piémontaise in French is rich, decadent and absolutely delicious!
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9
inch tart45
minutes50
minutes3
hoursIngredients
- Hazelnut praline paste (optional, see notes)
80 g roasted hazelnuts, unsalted (2.8 oz.) (see notes)
50 g white granulated sugar (1.8 oz., 1/4 cup)
pinch of salt
- Hazelnut pâte sucrée
75 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (2.6 oz., 1/3 cup)
45 g powdered (icing) sugar (1.6 oz., 1/3 cup)
20 g ground hazelnuts (0.71 oz.) (see notes)
pinch of salt
25 g egg (0.9 oz., 1/2 large egg, see notes), at room temperature
130 g all-purpose flour (4.6 oz., 1 cup)
- Hazelnut cream
120 g roasted hazelnuts, unsalted (4.2 oz.)
90 g white granulated sugar (3.2 oz.,1/3 cup and 2 Tablespoons)
75 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch) and softened at room temperature (2.6 oz., 1/3 cup)
75 g egg (2.6 oz., 1 and 1/2 large eggs), at room temperature
30 g hazelnut praline paste (1.1 oz.) (recipe in the directions below)
- Chocolate ganache
270 g heavy cream (35% fat) (9.5 oz., 1 cup and 2 Tablespoons)
270 g dark chocolate (about 65% cocoa), coarsely chopped (9.5 oz.)
60 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch) and softened at room temperature (2.1 oz., 1/4 cup)
Directions
- HAZELNUT PRALINE PASTE
- Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Making the caramel: Pour the sugar into a small saucepan, spreading it evenly so you get one thin layer. Place over medium-high heat. As soon as the sugar starts to melt, lower the heat to low. Keep cooking the sugar until it reaches an amber color and the sugar has fully melted. Lower the heat even further if the sugar is changing color quickly and hasn’t fully melted. Note that the darker the caramel, the more bitter it will be. Tip: It’s best not to stir until most of the sugar has melted. Then you can gently push the undissolved sugar towards the melted sugar with a heatproof spatula.
- Remove from the heat and drizzle over the nuts. Let it cool down completely at room temperature. Note: Caramel is extremely hot. Please be very careful when handling. Do not be tempted to try it when it’s hot!
- Mixing the praline paste: Break the caramel (with the nuts) into smaller pieces (with your hands or a rolling pin) and place in a food processor bowl.
- Add the salt then process until a runny paste forms (about 10 minutes), stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl. Tip: If your food processor gets hot at any point, stop mixing and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Set aside 30 g (1.1 oz.) of praline paste for the hazelnut cream. Transfer the rest to an airtight container and save for another use (in the fridge). Note: Chill the praline paste if you won’t be using it on the same day. Bring to room temperature when needed.
- HAZELNUT PATE SUCREE
- Mixing the dough: Place the butter in a large bowl. It should be very soft so that you can easily incorporate the other ingredients. Tip: Press the butter against the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it’s soft enough. If it isn’t, let it warm up a bit longer at room temperature. Alternatively, briefly heat it in the microwave for a few seconds until softened, not melted.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix with a spatula until combined. Then mix in the ground hazelnuts and salt.
- Add the egg and briefly whisk to combine. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled. Tip: Try not to whisk too much so you don’t incorporate a lot of air which would make the dough rise in the oven.
- Pour the flour into the bowl and using the spatula or a bench scraper, “cut” through the dough in small, repetitive, vertical movements. The dough will slowly come together. It’s ready when you can gather it into a ball. Don’t overwork the dough or it will be more likely to shrink in the oven.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper and flatten into a rectangle with your hands. Top with another large piece of parchment paper. Then roll out the dough into a 28 cm (11 inch) circle about 3 mm thick (1/8 inch), enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Tip: Make sure the parchment paper isn’t creased for a smooth surface.
- Place on a flat baking sheet. Chill for at least 1 hour or until the dough is no longer sticky and you can easily peel off the parchment paper. Tip: If you accidentally overworked the dough, it’s best to chill it overnight to weaken the gluten.
- Lining the pan: Take the dough out of the fridge about 5 minutes before lining the pan. If it’s too cold, it will start to crack. Too warm and it will be sticky. Tip: The dough is at the right temperature when: 1) It isn’t sticky and you can easily peel off the parchment paper. 2) It is flexible (not stiff) when you gently lift the sides of the parchment paper.
- Line a 23 cm (9 inch) tart pan with dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough and return to the fridge for an hour (or freeze for 15 minutes). Note: If using a tart pan with a glass removable bottom, you might want to grease the bottom and line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
- Place a shallow oven tray in the bottom third of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F, conventional setting).
- Bake the tart for about 23 minutes or until the crust feels dry and the edges of the tart are just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack (in the pan) to cool down for about 15 minutes while you prepare the hazelnut cream. Tip: Take a peek at the tart crust halfway through baking. If you notice bubbles forming, remove the tart from the oven. Gently push down the bubbles with the back of a spoon and continue baking.
- HAZELNUT CREAM
- Place the hazelnuts and sugar in a small food processor bowl. Pulse several times in 1-second increments until the mixture looks powdery. Don’t mix for too long so it doesn’t form a paste.
- Add the softened butter and mix briefly to combine. Mix in the egg and praline paste just until combined.
- Pour into the slighted cooled tart crust. Spread evenly with a large spoon. Return the filled tart to the oven (bottom third). Bake for about 23 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
- Transfer to a wire rack (in the pan). Cool down completely at room temperature before topping with chocolate ganache (so it doesn’t melt).
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until hot (not boiling).
- Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Melt in the microwave in 20 to 30-second increments, stirring in-between.
- Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate in 3 additions, stirring from the center then outwards with a spoon (or spatula) until completely smooth.
- Add the softened butter and stir until incorporated. Note: Make sure the butter is cut into small pieces and softened before adding to the ganache. If you forgot to bring it to room temperature, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it (not melt it).
- Pour the ganache into a large container to cool it down quickly. Optional: Strain the ganache through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of air bubbles or chocolate bits.
- Press a piece of parchment paper on the surface and let it cool down at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Then chill until thickened but not too firm, about 30 minutes. Tip: You can test the consistency with a spoon. It should be easy to scoop whilst keeping its shape on the spoon. If it quickly falls from the spoon, return to the fridge. If you are having trouble scooping the ganache with the spoon, let it warm up slightly at room temperature.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Unmold the tart and place on a serving platter. Decorate with chocolate ganache as desired. If the ganache isn’t holding peaks, chill a bit longer before trying again. Tip: Your hands might warm up and soften the ganache very quickly during piping. It’s best to work with a small batch of ganache (about 1/2) and keep the rest chilled until needed.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Make-ahead tips: The tart can be chilled (well covered) for 2-3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. This recipe can be prepared over several days if desired. Here’s an example: Day 1: Prepare the hazelnut praline paste and chill it. Day 2: Prepare the dough, roll it out then chill it for 1 hour. Line the tart pan, prick it and chill overnight. Note: Cover with plastic wrap (straight onto the surface of the dough) after about 30 minutes of chilling, or as soon as the dough is firm enough. Day 3: 1) Remove the plastic wrap and partially bake the tart. 2) Make the hazelnut cream and finish baking the tart. Cool down completely at room temperature then cover and chill if topping with ganache the next day. Day 4: Make the ganache and decorate the tart.
- Hazelnut praline paste: The amounts given are enough to make about 100 g (3.5 oz.) of praline paste but you will only need 30 g (1.1 oz.) for the tart. If the quantity is too small for your food processor, you might have trouble mixing it. Leftover paste will keep for a long time in the fridge so it won’t go to waste. You might like to follow the step-by-step images on how to make praline paste if you’ve never tried it before. The praline paste contributes to the wonderful flavor and texture of the hazelnut cream. I’d strongly recommend using it. But if you don’t want to, you can simply omit it and increase the amount of sugar in the hazelnut cream to 100 g (3.5 oz.).
- Hazelnuts: If using raw hazelnuts, you can toast them on the middle shelf of a preheated oven (180°C/356°F) for about 8-10 minutes or until fragrant. Remove the skins by rubbing the warm hazelnuts with a kitchen towel. Let cool completely before using. I’ve done this when making gianduja if you’d like to see a video and step-by-step images.
- Ground hazelnuts: You can use store-bought hazelnut flour if available. Alternatively, you can make it yourself by mixing toasted, skinless hazelnuts in a small food processor until ground. Don’t mix for too long so it doesn’t form a paste.
- Eggs: You will need two large eggs for this recipe, divided between the tart crust and the hazelnut cream. To use half an egg for the tart crust, simply crack an egg into a small bowl. Mix it briefly with a fork and weigh out 25 g (0.9 oz.). Save the remaining half for the hazelnut cream along with one large egg.
- Chocolate ganache: Try to use chocolate which is about 65% cocoa. If it’s much less than that, your ganache won’t firm up enough. Getting the ganache at the right temperature for piping can be a bit tricky. If you’re not comfortable piping, feel free to skip it and simply spread the ganache with a spoon once partially chilled.
- Food processor: I use a small food processor with a capacity of 830 ml (28 fl. oz.). It is ideal for mixing the hazelnut cream and the praline paste.
- Lining the tart pan: If you’re not sure how to do this, you might like to read How to line a tart pan with pastry.
- Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients.