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Midnight Blue Tarts with Saffron Cream

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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 batch Pâte Sucrée see below
  • 1 batch saffron cream
  • 1 pint blackberries washed
  • 1/2 pint blueberries washed
  • Fresh mint leaves

Pâte Sucrée

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes

Saffron Cream

  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 green cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Pinch of saffron threads
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into cubes

Instructions
 

For the Pâte Sucrée

  • Place egg yolks and whipping cream in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • Using the back of a knife, scrape the caviar from the vanilla bean. Add the caviar to the egg yolks and cream. Whip to combine and set aside.
  • In a large food processor, fitted with a dough blade, place flour, sugar, and salt. Blitz briefly to combine.
  • Set the food processor to low and add the butter to the flour mixture piece by piece. Blitz until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
  • With the food processor still running, stream in the yolk/cream mixture. Blitz until a dough forms.
  • Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface. Divide the dough into two and form each half into discs. Wrap and freeze 1 half for later use. Place the other half in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • When thoroughly chilled, remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
  • Place the dough on a well-floured surface, and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness.
  • Cut the dough into six squares and fit them into 3-inch tart pans. Trim the edges and chill for 1 hour.
  • While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Pierce the tart shells all over with a fork. Line the shells with a piece of parchment and place a handful of dried beans in the center.
  • Bake the shells for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely before filling.

For the Saffron Cream

  • Pour half and half in a small saucepan. Add the sugar, salt, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and saffron, and place the pot over medium-low heat.
  • Cook until the sugar dissolves and the milk is steaming but not boiling. If it starts to boil, remove the milk from the heat immediately.
  • While the milk is heating up, whisk egg yolks and cornstarch together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.
  • Strain the hot milk and discard the solids. Return the milk to the saucepan.
  • Add a ladle-full of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk immediately to temper the eggs.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture and return the saucepan to medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency.
  • Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately add the butter. Stir until the butter melts and is fully integrated into the pastry cream.
  • Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover and chill for two hours.

To Assemble.

  • Remove the tart shells from their pans and set aside.
  • Spoon pastry cream into the tart shells and smooth out the surface using a small palette knife.
  • Arrange blackberries and blueberries on top of the pastry cream.
  • Transfer the remaining pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton #10 round tip. Pipe pastry cream into any spaces visible on the surface of the tart.
  • Garnish with fresh mint leaves and chill until ready to serve.