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Rose petal curd tart with pomegranate and pistachio
Serves 6 Desserts and puddings
For the crystallised rose petals
- 1 egg white
- petals of 2-4 scented unsprayed pink roses
- caster sugar, to coat
For the pâte sucrée
- 200g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 75g caster or icing sugar
- 75g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks
- 1⁄2tsp vanilla extract
For the curd filling
- 250g curd cheese or ricotta
- 60g rose petal jam
- 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
- finely grated zest 1 lemon
- few drops rosewater, to taste
- 25g unsalted butter, melted
To decorate
- pomegranate seeds, slivered
- green pistachios and gold or silver leaf
Method
First crystallise the rose petals. Beat the egg white until frothy, then paint onto the clean dry petals. Sprinkle with caster sugar to coat completely, arrange on a cake rack or baking parchment and leave in a warm place at least overnight to dry out and crisp. Leave to cool, then store between layers of kitchen paper in an airtight tin. They will keep well for up to 10 days.
To make the pastry, sift the flour and a pinch salt onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Put the sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla extract into a food processor and blend until smooth, add 2-3tbsp chilled water and blend again. Add the wet mixture to the flour and work until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently until smooth. Form into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, then allow to come to room temperature before rolling out.
Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface to around the thickness of a pound coin and use it to line the tin. (This is quite a delicate pastry to roll but can easily be patched up with trimmings.) Line the pastry case with baking parchment or foil, then fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove the parchment and baking beans and return the pastry to the oven for around 8 minutes, or until it looks dry and is faintly coloured. Remove the case from the oven and lower the temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
To make the filling, beat the curd cheese with the jam until smooth, then beat in the eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, rosewater and melted butter. Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is just set – it will be a bit wobbly, but will set further as it cools. Once cold, cover and chill until firm. Decorate with the crystallised rose petals, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and metal leaf. Serve slightly cold. This can also be made as individual tartlets.
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