Honey & Pine Nut Tart

Spring is here, technically.  In Minneapolis there is still snow on the ground, ice patches to avoid and that all too familiar chill in the air.  Ugh. I'm trying to be patient.  It's hard.  In the meantime, I made a tart.  Not only does this tart have the honor of being one of my husband's most requested desserts, but as an added bonus, its flavors are eerily capable of transporting my mind to another place... a warmer place.  One bite and I am taken to a Tuscan villa.  A long wooden table is set under a cloudless early evening sky. It is packed with great friends, heaping platters of family-style dishes and many opened bottles of wine.  At the end of this magical dinner, a rustic tart is passed around the table, accompanied by a gently whipped rosemary steeped cream. The perfect ending to a perfect dinner on a perfectly warm evening.  Sigh.  Alright, back to reality and this tart is still sublime.  The rich, piney flavor of the toasted pine nuts marries perfectly with the creamy honey custard filling.  A slightly sweet and tart rosemary steeped cream plays off the flavor of the pine nuts remarkably well.  This dessert is elegant, beautiful, complexly flavored and most importantly, completely irresistible.  Glancing out the window, I still see the remnants of winter, but just a slice of this decadent tart and I am reminded that spring is just around the corner.

Honey & Pine Nut Tart with Rosemary Cream
(tart adapted from this recipe)

for the tart crust:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

for the tart filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups pine nuts, toasted

for the rosemary cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp créme fraiche
1 Tbsp sugar

note:  you will need a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom for this recipe.

for the crust:
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Pulse a few times until dry ingredients are combined.  Add the cold butter and pulse mixture until it has the texture of coarse meal.  In a slow, steady stream, pour in the cream and egg mixture with the machine running.  Process until the dough just comes together (the dough may be a bit crumbly).  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two discs.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate one disc for 30 minutes.  (Freeze the extra disc of dough for a future use).

One the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Generously flour your rolling pin and surface and roll the dough out to a 12'' circle, just larger than the tart pan.  The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.  As you roll, move your dough around to prevent it from sticking to your surface. Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan and gently press it in evenly, leaving no holes.  If the dough forms holes or cracks, simply patch them up with excess dough.  When you've finished pressing the dough into the pan, run your rolling pin over the top of the pan to cleanly cut off any excess dough.  Place the prepared pan in the freezer while you make the tart filling.

for the filling:
In a medium sauce pan, bring the honey, sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.  Whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Add the cold, cubed butter and continue whisking until the butter has melted and incorporated into the mixture.  Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.  Once cooled, whisk in the cream, egg and egg yolk.

Remove prepared tart pan from the freezer and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.  Pour the pine nuts into the tart pan, spreading them evenly.  Pour the honey custard mixture over the pine nuts.  Bake the tart for 1 hour.  The center of the tart may still be a bit wobbly, but should be golden brown.  Allow tart to cool completely before removing the tart from the pan.  Serve at room temperature with rosemary cream (below).

for the rosemary cream:
In a small sauce pan, bring 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and 2 rosemary sprigs to a slow simmer over medium heat.  Once bubbling, turn off the heat and allow the cream to steep for about 15 minutes. Transfer cream and rosemary to the refrigerator to cool completely.  Once cooled, strain the cream into a large bowl.  Add the additional 1/2 cup of cream and whip (using a whisk or hand mixer) until it just begins to thicken.  Add the sugar and créme fraiche.  Continue to whip until thick but not stiff.  You still want the cream to have movement.

Pulse cold butter into the flour mixture.

Your dough may appear dry and crumbly but don't worry, it is supposed to look this way.

Whisk the cold butter into the boiling honey syrup.  The beginnings of an amazing custard-like filling.

Toasted pine nuts add an unexpected warmth and richness to this dessert.

Spread pine nuts out onto the bottom of the unbaked shell and then fill with the cooled honey custard.  

Fresh rosemary-steeped cream.   Whip it into a soft and flavorful topping.  

Slice, top with cream and bring on spring.