Mini Pecan Apple Tart with Honey and Spice

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Apple tart is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I like making it just as much as I enjoy a piece. This mini pecan apple tart combines between apples, pecans, honey and spice and are perfect for Rosh Ha’Shana feast.

Mini Pecan Apple Tart with Honey and Spice

Photo: Natalie Levin



Mini Pecan Apple Tart with Honey and Spice

For spices crust:

  • 150 grams all-purpose flour
  • 100 grams cold butter (cut into cubes)
  • 40 grams icing sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1-2 tbsp. cold milk (as needed)

For pecan, honey and apple filling:

  • 100 grams pecans
  • 75 grams butter
  • 50 grams light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 small diced apple

For vanilla Chantilly cream:

  • 250 ml. heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. cream stabilizer or instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 tbsp. sugar powder

For caramelized apple cubes:

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 50 grams sugar
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 10 grams butter
  • Ground cinnamon for serving

Crust:

  1. In a food processor with a steel blade put flour, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, vanilla and salt and blend until mixture is crumbly.
  2. Add egg yolk and continue to blend just until large clumps of dough form. If the dough is not setting, gradually add a little milk.
  3. Transfer the dough chunks on a lightly floured work surface and form a disc-shape with your hands.
  4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
  5. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface about 3-4 mm thick and cut out circles about 8-9 cm in diameter. Line the tartelette molds. It is important to create a right angle between the sides and the base of the crust, which will ensure the edges remain high when baking.
  6. Using a fork create holes in the crust of each tartelette. Freeze the tartelette crusts for about 30 minutes before baking.
  7. Preheat oven to 170c degrees.

Blind baking:

  1. Put a sheet of heat-resistant plastic wrap or baking paper over each tartelette and fill with dry beans or special weights for baking.
  2. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.
  3. Remove the weights and the plastic wrap and continue to bake the crust for about 2-3 minutes or until it is very lightly golden.
  4. Cool at room temperature.

Pecan, honey and apple filling:

  1. In a food processor with a steel blade put pecans, butter, sugar and honey and blend until crumbly.
  2. Add egg and flour and continue to blend until very thick cream is formed.
  3. Cut the apples into small cubes.
  4. Fill the half-baked crust with cream up to 2/3 height of its height. Put a few apple cubes on the cream.
  5. Bake for about 10-13 minutes or until cream is golden.
  6. Cool completely at room temperature.

Vanilla Chantilly cream:

  1. In a bowl of a mixer whip cream, sugar powder, stabilizer and vanilla until you get very stable cream is formed.
  2. Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag with a serrated 2-3 cm piping tip. Drizzle rose-shaped cream over each tartelette and cool in the refrigerator.

Caramelized apple cubes:

  1. Peel apples and dice into 2*2 cm cubes.
  2. Put sugar in a small pan and form caramel.
  3. Add diced apples, lemon juice and butter.
  4. Reduce the heat and simmer the apples in caramel for about 2-3 minutes, until the apples soften slightly, but still stable.
  5. Strain the cubes from caramel and place apple cubes on a lightly oiled plate. Cool completely.
  6. Decorate the tartelettes with caramelized apple cubes and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
  • Keep the mini tarts in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
  • You can use pears instead of apples.
  • Add and/or omit spices according to your personal taste.
  • You can use maple or date syrup instead of honey.

Mini Pecan Apple Tart with Honey and Spice

Photo: Natalie Levin