Luscious Yuzu White Chocolate Tart is flavourful, fragrant yuzu lemon and silky white chocolate piped into sweet pastry and topped with freeze-dried raspberry and whipped cream.
OK, so I'm just going to put this out there... you NEED to make this Luscious Yuzu White Chocolate Tart...STAT!
I adore all things citrus, but I have a special place in my heart for yuzu. Everyone should experience its heavenly aroma and deliciously, mouth-puckering, complex flavour profile.
I talked about yuzu before - you know, the citrus that nearly bankrupted me. Alright, a bit of an exaggeration, but it ain't cheap. When I can't find the actual fruit, I generally opt for the puree or the juice.
I used to buy this brand, but I was disappointed to learn that it is actually second press. I still buy it, as it works well for some applications, but I've since found a first press brand at my local Japanese shop. It is more concentrated and closer in taste to the fresh fruit. I couldn't find the same brand on Amazon, so I've provided a link to one that has good reviews.
My test batch was basically the same as this, but a few of my taste testers felt the citrus was overpowering. My next batch was along the lines of this, and although good, it wasn't the texture I wanted. For my final batch, I used white chocolate. TOUCHDOWN!!
The smooth, creamy Valrhona Waina 35% white chocolate helped to temper the tartness and balance the overall taste, along with the army of scraped Rodelle vanilla beans. The crisp pastry and freeze-dried berry added contrasting texture and the whipped coconut cream helped to lighten things up.
It all came together gloriously - but one might say I am a little biased. You'll just have to give it a try! If you do, would love if you used #isugarcoatit on Instagram, so that we can all enjoy as well!
Sweet Tips for Luscious Yuzu White Chocolate Tart Success:
- The secret to good pastry is to keep everything cold - work surface (marble works great), rolling pin, hands, butter. I provide more tips in this post.
- To me, a soggy crust is a culinary sin, so I use chocolate or cocoa butter to keep my crust crisp and stay sin-free. Check out my post here to see how.
- I cooked my curd using the sous vide method - I use it for all my custard bases, as it yields perfectly smooth results EVERY time. Not everyone cooks sous vide, so I provided stove-top instructions instead. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly and be careful not to over-cook and curdle the eggs.
- You can use coconut cream or milk for the whipped topping - the milk contains more liquid, which I always end up discarding, so to lessen waste, I generally use the cream. For best results, I chill the cream (whether its coconut or dairy), as well as the bowl and whisk before whipping.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
For the filling:
- 76 grams egg yolks I used egg yolks from 4 large eggs
- 96 grams granulated sugar
- 80 grams yuzu juice
- 60 grams white chocolate I used Valrhona Waina 35%
- 57 grams butter
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped I used Rodelle vanilla beans
For the whipped coconut cream:
- 1 can full fat coconut cream or milk chilled for 24 hours
- 25 grams granulated sugar or pure maple syrup
- ½ vanilla bean, scraped or 3 grams pure vanilla paste or extract
For the garnish:
- freeze-dried raspberries as needed
- lemon zest as needed
Instructions
Make the pastry:
- See recipe for pate sucree or cocoa pate sucree
Make the filling:
- Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a saucepan, until smooth. Whisk in the yuzu juice.
- Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate and vanilla beans. Add the butter and mix until smooth.
- Pour or pipe the filling into the tart shells. Shuffle on the counter to level, or use an offset spatula to smooth. Place in the refrigerator to set for 6-8 hours, or overnight.
Whip up the topping:
- Chill the coconut cream or milk overnight. This will allow the milk solids and liquids to separate. DO NOT shake the can when you remove it from the fridge. Flip it upside down, open and drain the liquids.
- Scoop the solids only into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer. (Tip: I always chill my bowl and whisk in the freezer for five minutes prior to making whipped cream).
- Whip on high for a few seconds before adding the maple syrup and vanilla. Continue to whip for two minutes, or until full and fluffy.
Assemble the tarts:
- Remove tarts form the refrigerator. Crumble some freeze-dried fruit in a random pattern and then pipe a few dollops of whipped cream. Serve at room temperature.
2pots2cook says
Never tasted yuzu before but your creation makes me do my best to find it ! Thank you so much !
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
You won't regret it!! I have a link below the post to the bottled juice, if you're interested.
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says
I've never heard of yuzu! What have I been missing?! This tart looks fabulous!
Christina Shoemaker says
YES I'm all about this! So gorgeous and it looks so creamy! YUM!!
Jill says
It's so beautiful! I've actually never heard of yuzu either but your photos of this tart are inspiring me to try it!
Susie says
This looks amazing! I have not tried yuzu before, but if it is citrus in flavor then I am all in! I will be saving this recipe on my pinterest boards for sure!
Sarah says
Not only is this gorgeous but it sounds absolutely delicious!! Those bright colors and flavors are perfect for spring!