Tart with Chestnut Cream

To prepare the tart with chestnut cream, start by preparing the cream: carefully wash the chestnuts under running water. Then transfer them to a large pot filled with water and, once it reaches boiling, let them boil for 15 minutes 1. After this time, drain them and let them cool slightly, then peel them with the help of a sharp knife 2. Once peeled, place them in a food mill until you get a sandy mixture 3, alternatively you can use a potato masher.

In a pot, place the vanilla bean with its seeds, sugar, water, and let the sugar dissolve over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring with a whisk 4. Remove the vanilla bean with tongs and then add the chestnut mixture 5. Mix everything and after adding the grated zest of one lemon, let it cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon 6. To find out how to prepare and store it at its best, consult our recipe: chestnut cream.

While the chestnut cream is cooking, focus on preparing the shortcrust pastry: pour the flour and cold butter cut into pieces into the bowl of a mixer 7 and blend until you get a sandy mixture 8. Then transfer the "sanding" onto a pastry board and form a well in the center, into which you will pour the powdered sugar 9.

Break the eggs, set aside the egg whites, and add the yolks to the "sanding" and sugar 10, mix everything and work with your hands 11 quickly, to prevent the dough from heating up, until you form a firm and homogeneous dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for half an hour 12. To find out how to prepare it at its best, consult our Cooking School: Shortcrust pastry.

Once the chestnut cream and the shortcrust pastry dough are ready, all that remains is to roll out the dough and assemble your tart. Take the dough out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and roll out a circle of shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin 13. Butter and flour a cake pan with a diameter of 11 inches, then lay the shortcrust pastry on top 14, to facilitate this operation, roll the pastry sheet onto the rolling pin and then unroll it onto the pan. Apply light pressure along the edge of the cake pan with the rolling pin to remove excess dough, then press with your fingers to adhere the dough to the pan. Then pour the chestnut cream, which in the meantime will have cooled 15.

Level the chestnut cream with the back of a spoon 16, roll out the leftover shortcrust pastry and cut strips of dough with a pastry cutter 17, then place them on the surface of the tart, forming the classic lattice pattern 18.

Once all the lattice strips are placed 19, brush the pastry with an egg 20, to give crunchiness and shine to the tart, and finally bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 45 minutes, if using a convection oven, bake at 320°F for about 35-40 minutes. Once baked, let your tart with chestnut cream cool 21 and serve it!