12459 Walnut Tart from Masseube Serves 10 Wed Aug 06 01:08:01 -0700 2008 Sat Feb 07 13:33:50 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12459 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:33:50 GMT Provence, the savoy, and Dauphiné all have their regional walnut cakes and tarts, as do the Périgord and the Quercy. This rich, rustic version comes from the Gascon town of Masseube. The walnuts are cooked in a toffee-like syrup and baked in a sugar crust that appears to be wavy rather than flat. Plain granulated sugar is sprinkled on top.

Fresh nuts make a huge difference in any dessert. You can shell them yourself, buy them from a reputable source, or purchase shelled walnuts in tins. Some markets now carry DOC Périgord vacuum-sealed walnut halves, which are the best.

This cake keeps about a week if well wrapped in foil and kept in a cool, dry place. It is excellent with vanilla ice cream or unsweetened crème fraîche and sliced fresh fruit or berries. This cake is extremely rich; plan on serving very thin slices. The filling can be doubled for a thicker cake.

The cake improves in flavor, so make it at least 3 days in advance.

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  • Make the Sugar Crust as directed. Chill a minimum of 3 hours, or even better, overnight.
  • Roll out the larger round of pastry between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper. Fit the round into a 9- or 9½-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. The pastry will be thin; if it tears, simply pinch to seal any holes. Set the tart shell in the freezer. Meanwhile, roll out the remaining pastry and trim if necessary to make a perfect round, 11 to 12 inches in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a heavy, deep 4-quart pot, preferably stainless steel or a copper preserving pan, bring 1 cup of the sugar and ⅓ cup water to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Raise heat to moderately high, cover, and cook for 2 minutes; then reduce the heat to low, uncover, and cook without stirring until the syrup is light caramel, about 10 minutes. Gently swirl the pan from time to time to even out the color as it develops. As soon as the caramel colors, immediately remove it from the heat.
  • Meanwhile, warm the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet over low heat or in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let darken.
  • As soon as the syrup stops boiling, gradually stir in the hot milk; be very careful because the mixture bubbles up considerably. Stir in the butter and the warm walnuts. Return to moderate heat and cook, stirring, at a slow boil for 4 to 5 minutes. The temperature of the mixture should remain at 240°F on a candy thermometer.
  • Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side down, and set on the rack of the oven. Remove the tart shell from the freezer and carefully pour the hot walnut mixture into the shell. Immediately, brush the rim of the pastry with egg glaze and place the refrigerated round of pastry on top. Press all around to seal; then crimp the edge decoratively. The top will be bubbly and become wavy. Brush it lightly with egg glaze; pierce once or twice in the center and set on the hot foil-lined baking sheet in the oven.
  • Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for 15 minutes. Quickly brush the top crust a second time with egg glaze and sprinkle very lightly with the remaining sugar. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and bake for 20 minutes longer.
  • Transfer the tart to a rack and let cool for at least 4 hours. Wrap well in foil and store in an airtight container for at least 3 or up to 5 days before serving.
  • This dessert was given to me by the pastry chef at André Daguin's restaurant. When she first described it, I was a little apprehensive about pouring a hot caramel onto raw pastry dough. Seeing my disbelief, she very kindly decided to teach me the three important tricks for success. Once you know them, it's a cinch to make:
  • Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. “Sift” by pulsing the machine once. Scatter the butter bits on top of the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times, until the butter is the size of small peas.
  • In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Blend in the cream and vanilla. Add to the dough and process for 5 seconds; dump onto a sheet of waxed paper. Break off nuggets and flatten forward with the heel of your hand or a dough scraper to distribute fat and flour evenly. Gather the dough into a ball and divide in two, with one half a bit larger than the other for the bottom crust. Wrap both in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main Sugar Crust (at right)

    ]]>     1 cup plus 1½ tablespoons sugar

    ]]>     ½ pound shelled walnuts, chopped into pieces the size of small blueberries

    ]]>     ½ cup milk or light cream, heated

    ]]>     7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

    ]]>     Egg glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon cream

    ]]>     8½ ounces (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour or a mixture of pastry flour and all-purpose flour

    ]]>     ⅓ cup sugar

    ]]>     Pinch of salt

    ]]>     9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tiny dice

    ]]>     1 egg

    ]]>     3½ tablespoons heavy cream

    ]]>     ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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