Strawberry Pistachio Tart

Strawberry pistachio tart is a beautiful summer dessert with a delicious combination of juicy strawberries and pistachios. Top this easy-made sablé Breton crust with cream and fruit of your choice to customize the tart!

Summer heat calls for summery desserts! I got the idea of making this strawberry pistachio tart some time ago but was waiting for juicy berries during the summertime!

If you wonder if strawberries and pistachios go together, the answer is yes.

Wildly known strawberry-pistachio combo brings bright colors and an irresistible taste to a dessert.

A crunchy sablé Breton crust topped with the pistachio mousseline cream balances the texture and flavors of this gorgeous tart.

Add your creativity in decoration and upgrade this strawberry pistachio tart to a birthday dessert.

And if you ever want to try another French favorite with praline mousseline cream, try the Paris-Brest dessert.

Why you should try this recipe

The sablé Breton is a rich, buttery tart base that will make your desserts easier than ever.

Forget about those frustratingly difficult tarts: there is no traditional tart shell here. Instead, you will be amazed at how simple this tart recipe is.

The crispiness and crumbliness of the crust are a perfect complement to an ultra-smooth, creamy texture. The fruit sweetness accents it nicely too.

The perfect pairing for a summery dessert, strawberry and pistachio has been one of the top summer combinations in modern pastries.

Adding another cream and fruit to the shortbread crust offers you endless possibilities for making your own pastries.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Egg yolks: using an egg separator, separate egg yolks from the whites while whole eggs are chilled. Then bring egg yolks to room temperature.

Sugar: use granulated white or caster sugar.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter. Use high quality 82% fat content European-style butter to make the sablé Breton crust to get its crisp and crumbly texture. Take butter out of the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you start.

Flour: use all-purpose flour. I haven't tried to make the tart base with another type of flour.

Salt balances and enhances the flavors of the crust.

Baking powder is added to make the crust as a leavening agent.

Milk: use whole milk or replace it with low-fat milk if desired.

Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Corn starch: it is a thickening agent to make the pastry cream. Replace it with all-purpose flour if desired.

Pistachio paste is one of the stars of strawberry pistachio tart. Purchase it on Amazon or in special baking supermarkets.  

Pistachio nuts: use toasted or raw pistachios to decorate the tart.

Fresh strawberry: use seasonal ripe strawberries cut into halves or quarters.

How to make strawberry pistachio tart

To make sablé Breton crust, place egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer to get a creamy and white mixture (photo 1).

Add softened butter and mix with a rubber spatula to smooth (photo 2).

Using a flour sifter, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients and mix again (photo 3). Wrap the dough in a plastic film and refrigerate for two hours.

Heat oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C. Roll dough between two parchment paper sheets to approximately ¼ inch or 6 to 7 mm thick.

Place a 9-inch/23 cm tart ring on top of the rolled dough and press it with your hands. Keep the ring, and remove the excess dough out of the ring (photo 4).

Transfer sablé Breton (being in the ring) with a sheet of parchment paper to a baking tray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly browned (photo 5).

Note: No need to grease the pastry ring and prick pastry.

Remove the crust from the oven. Once it is still hot, remove the ring immediately. Using oven mitts, carefully lift the ring and let the crust cool down on a cooling rack.

To make the pistachio mousseline cream, mix egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch in a bowl.

Bring milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add pistachio paste and mix well with a hand whisk.

Pour a bit of hot pistachio mixture over egg preparation, whisking constantly. Then pour the remaining milk mixture and mix with the hand whisk.

Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, constantly stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cream thickens (photo 6).

Remove the pistachio pastry cream from heat, and add 1.7 oz. (50 g) softened butter, and mix with the whisk.

Transfer the pistachio cream to a shallow plate, cover it with plastic film in contact and let it cool for 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature.

Once the cream is cool, add the remaining 1.7 oz. (50 g) softened butter.

Whisk the cream with an electric mixer until smooth and shiny (photo 7).

To assemble the tart, place the crust on a serving platter and pipe the pistachio mousseline cream with the open star pastry tip - Wilton 1M.

Wash and drain strawberries (don't hull them). Cut strawberries in half or quarters, arrange them over the tart, and sprinkle with toasted pistachios (photo 8).

If desired, add a few pistachios sprinkled with powdered sugar to make the dessert more interesting.

To serve, take the tart from the fridge for 20 minutes before presenting it to the table to allow mousseline cream to soften.

Recipe variations

The tart garnished with mousseline cream is absolutely delicious, but you can use a simple whipped cream instead of mousseline. Pipe it on top with fruit and nuts for decoration.

Referring to the recipe for French strawberry tart will help you learn how best to decorate your tart with only strawberries.

Use other berries, such as fresh raspberries and blueberries, and sprinkle the dessert with toasted almonds.

Or try combining fresh pears, candied pecans, and salted butter caramel: it will make every bite mouthwatering perfection.

And why not decorate your tart with sliced peaches and blackberries and sprinkle it with toasted almonds?

Finally, for tropical fruit lovers, arrange sliced mango and other tropical fruit of your choice and sprinkle with coconut chips or coconut flakes.

Storage instructions

The assembled tart should be stored in the refrigerator and served within 24 hours.

For the best tasting experience, bring the tart to the counter for 20-30 minutes for mousseline cream to soften.

Can you freeze this strawberry and pistachio tart? Since mousseline cream has a pastry cream base, freezing such a cream-topped pastry is not recommended.

This is particularly the case with fresh strawberries that don't tolerate freezing well.

However, you can make sable Breton dough in advance, cover it with plastic wrap, chill for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Or you can bake this tart base 1 to 4 days in advance and store it at room temperature.

Equipment

What kitchen tools do you need to make this gorgeous tart?

A mixing bowl with a rubber spatula, an electric mixer, and a rolling pin are essentials to make the tart dough.

If you want an authentic experience, then you will need to invest in a tart ring. As an alternative, try to use a cake ring.

Unfortunately, a regular tart pan (aka tart tin) doesn't work for this recipe. Also, there is no need for pie weights.

Finally, prepare a hand whisk with a heavy-bottomed saucepan to make mousseline cream. Use a pastry bag with the open star pastry tip or another type of tip to pipe the cream.

Expert tips

1. Make-ahead option: you can bake the sablé Breton one to four days in advance and keep it at room temperature. But make mousseline cream and decorate the tart on the day of serving.
2. If mousseline cream is lumpy while whisking, it means that the butter was too cold when you added it. To solve the problem, let the cream rest and warm up at room temperature until the butter softens completely. Then beat the cream again.
3. If you see butter pieces in the mousseline cream, just warm up the cream in a microwave for 2-5 seconds and stir the mixture. You might need to repeat this process, then whisk the cream well.
4. If the mousseline cream seems liquid, refrigerate for a few minutes and whisk again.
5. Add a few drops of green food color to intensify the color of the cream if desired.

Frequently asked questions

Love strawberry desserts? Try these next!

• French Strawberry Tart - a delicious strawberry tart with a puff pastry base.
• Strawberry Clafoutis - easy and quick French custard.
• Strawberry Crumble Bars - a summertime strawberry favorite.
• Or browse all the Tart Recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on June 14, 2019. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.