Learn how to make delightful matcha tarts filled with tangy passion fruit curd. These tarts use a sweet matcha cookie dough for the shells, which are blind-baked and then filled with a stovetop passion fruit curd prepared in advance.
I discovered frozen passion fruit purée at a small neighbourhood shop and immediately knew it would make an excellent curd. In French baking, curd is often described as a thick, egg- and butter-enriched fruit spread (sometimes called “crème de citron” for lemon curd). This passion fruit curd is rich, bright and perfect for filling crisp matcha tart shells.
Fruit curds are versatile: use them on scones, toast, as a cake filling, or in sandwich cookies. Here, the vibrant tartness of passion fruit balances the earthy, subtly bitter flavour of matcha in the tart pastry.
Recipe
Matcha Tart with Passion Fruit Curd
A recipe for matcha tarts filled with passion fruit curd. The tart dough includes matcha powder for colour and a light green tea flavour. This curd can also be swapped for lemon curd.
Equipment
- Mini tart pans
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (optional)
- Rolling pin
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
Passion fruit curd
- 125 mL passion fruit purée
- 60 mL fresh lemon juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 150 g unsalted butter
Matcha tart dough
- 86 g unsalted butter, softened
- 63 g icing sugar
- 33 g ground almonds
- 8 g matcha green tea powder
- 1 large egg yolk
- 156 g bleached all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch fine kosher salt
- 22.5 mL whole milk (3.25% fat)
Garnish
- 2 passion fruits, halved, or fresh raspberries
Instructions
Passion fruit curd
- In a medium saucepan, combine the passion fruit purée, lemon juice and half the sugar. Heat gently until nearly boiling.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a large bowl until lighter in colour. Keep the bowl near the stove.
- Prepare the butter cut into cubes and set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl.
- Temper the yolks by pouring the hot juice mixture over them while whisking vigorously. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan.
- Cook the curd over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to boil while whisking for 1.5 minutes to thicken the curd, moving the pan to avoid hot spots.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time until smooth. Push the curd through the fine mesh strainer into the waiting bowl, scraping to extract every bit. Cover the surface with plastic wrap pressed onto the curd, then cover the bowl and chill overnight.
Matcha tart shells
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, icing sugar, ground almond and matcha until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the egg yolk and mix in.
- Add the flour and salt and mix on low until just combined.
- Sprinkle the milk over the crumbly dough and mix until the crumbs come together into a cohesive green dough.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface, press into a uniform mass, and divide into five pieces (~75 g each). Flatten each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough out to about 1.5 inches larger than your tart pan. Gently transfer and fit the dough into the pan without stretching.
- Chill the fitted tart shells for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better). Place them on a baking sheet, dock the dough and bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. No weights are necessary.
- Cool the tarts on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold using a glass or appropriate tool. Let cool completely before filling.
Assembly
- Fill each cooled tart shell with chilled passion fruit curd.
- Top with fresh passion fruit pulp or raspberries and chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition (approx.)
Calories: 858 kcal; Carbohydrates: 91 g; Protein: 13 g; Fat: 51 g; Saturated fat: 28 g; Cholesterol: 453 mg; Sodium: 43 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 60 g. Nutrition information is an estimate.