Mango Rose Tart

The striking rose design on this elegant tart is created by arranging thinly sliced mangoes in an intricate spiral on top of layers of mango curd and crème diplomate. The golden pâte sablée and a sprinkling of “mango caviar” complete this showstopping dessert.

Mango Rose Tart was the Technical Bake for Pastry Week in Season 6 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Mango Rose Tart

Special Equipment

A pipette

Ingredients

Pâte Sablée:

• 1⅔ cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (56 g) icing sugar
• ¼ cup (25 g) almond flour
• ½ tsp fine kosher salt
• 7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter, cubed, cold
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tsp water

Mango Curd:

• 2 tsp powdered gelatin
• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup canned mango purée
• ½ tsp fine kosher salt
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 large egg, plus 5 large yolks
• ¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, cold

Crème Diplomate:

• 1 tsp powdered gelatin
• 1½ cups 3.25% milk, divided
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (52 g) cornstarch
• ½ tsp fine kosher salt
• 1 large egg, plus 4 large yolks
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, cold
• ½ cup 35% cream, cold

Mango Caviar:

• ½ cup mango nectar
• ¼ tsp agar agar powder (sold at natural food stores and online)
• 1 cup vegetable oil, chilled

Assembly:

• 2 mangoes, semi-firm
• 3 to 4 tbsp peach jam
• Hot water, as needed

Preparation

Pâte Sablée:
Heat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray.

Pulse the flour, icing sugar, almond flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix the egg with water, add it to the food processor and pulse until a dough is formed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until uniform. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten to a ½-inch-thick disc and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Press the dough into the tart pan, trimming any excess from the edges. Dock the pastry all over with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes.

Remove the tart shell from the freezer. Cover the surface with parchment paper and fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and continue to bake until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Freeze for 5 minutes. 

Mango Curd:

Sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice and stir until combined. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the mango purée, salt and ½ cup (100 g) sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg, yolks and remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar in a medium glass bowl until no longer grainy and slightly lighter in colour, about 2 minutes.

Whisking constantly, very gradually pour about half of the hot mango mixture into the eggs, then gradually pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining mango. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the curd thickens and the whisk leaves a visible trail, 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until incorporated before adding more.

Pour the curd through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a large bowl. Stir it every few minutes while the crust is in the freezer. Pour the curd into the cooled tart crust and place in the freezer to chill, about 30 minutes.

Crème Diplomate:

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and water.

Sprinkle the gelatin over ½ cup of milk and stir until combined.

Place the remaining 1 cup milk in a medium saucepan. Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add them to the milk along with the pod. Bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat, cover and steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a large glass bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the egg and yolks and whisk until smooth.

Whisking constantly, very gradually pour about half of the steeped milk into the egg mixture, then gradually pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Add the bloomed gelatin. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly. Allow the pastry cream to bubble gently and thicken, 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. 

Pour the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a medium bowl, to remove any lumps and the vanilla pod. Place the bowl in the ice bath and stir until the pastry cream is fully cooled.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream and strain if needed. Spread the cream over the cooled mango curd and return the tart to the freeze.

Mango Caviar:

Meanwhile, whisk together the mango nectar and agar agar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Pour the chilled oil into a tall glass. Draw some of the mango juice into a pipette and squeeze one drop at a time into the cold oil. As it sinks to the bottom of the glass, the juice will become solid spheres resembling caviar. Continue this process until you have enough spheres to adorn the tart. Strain the spheres from the oil and rinse well under cold water. 

Assembly:

Using a sharp knife, peel the mangoes. Then, starting from the top of the fruit, cut around the flat side of the pit and repeat on the other side. You will have two large pieces of mango. Cut them lengthwise into thin half-moon slices

Starting from the outer edge of the tart shell, arrange the mango slices curved side up. Use the larger slices for the outside petals and the smaller ones for the centre of the rose. The end of each mango slice should overlap with the next one. Continue building the flower until you reach the centre.

Stir the jam to loosen, adding hot water if needed, and pass it through a small fine-mesh strainer. Brush the jam onto the mango slices to add shine and prevent them from browning. 

Remove the tart from the pan and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with mango caviar.

Makes one tart