Strawberry Pistachio tart

This Strawberry Pistachio tart consists of a Pâte Sablée sweet shortcrust pastry filled with silky Pistachio ganache and topped with delicious, fresh strawberries. A beautiful contrast of rich and nutty Pistachio ganache and refreshing fruit in a buttery, sweet but not too sweet melt in the mouth pastry shell. One of the best French tartlets I have ever made!

Jump to:

• What is a tart?
• What is Pâte Sablée?
• How hard it is to make this recipe
• Ingredient notes
• 6 Expert tips about the technique
• Equipment notes
• Recipe FAQs
• More Tart recipes
• Strawberry Pistachio Tart

What is a tart?

A tart is a freestanding, shallow, open-faced pastry consisting of a filling in a pastry case with an open-top, not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually a rich shortcrust pastry (Pate sable dough), while the filling can be both sweet or savory. A tart case is typically baked in a tart ring with fluted or straight sides. Smaller tarts are often referred to as tartlets. Lemon tart, fruit tart, chocolate tart, coffee tart, caramel tart...you name it!

Make sure you check out my Ultimate Pâte Sablée Guide (incl. video recipe) that explains everything about how to make sweet shortcrust including ingredients, technique, equipment, and even more.

What is Pâte Sablée?

Unlike traditional American flaky pie crust, Pate sablee makes a crispier and more biscuit-like tart shell. It is super delicious, buttery shortcrust that is sweet but not too sweet, a melt-in-the-mouth pastry dough. The sable pastry recipe contains only a few basic ingredients - like butter, sugar, and flour - yet can be the base of the fanciest, most amazing desserts you will ever make.

How hard it is to make this recipe

Making this Pistachio tart is actually not that hard, neither too complex nor time-consuming.

• Making the Pistachio ganache is very easy and quick, using 3 ingredients like white chocolate, pistachio paste, and heavy cream
• Preparing the Pâte Sablée is also not very difficult once you learn about the basics of how to deal with sweet shortcrust dough.
• Finally, making the fruit decoration is one of the easiest most decorative ways to take your tartlet to the next level, I really think you should try making it!

Overall, this is an easy tartlet recipe that you can comfortably try after reading my tutorial even if you are a beginner!

Ingredient notes

For the Pâte Sablée tart shell

1. Flour: I am using pastry flour (that is lower in protein content) for this French tart shell recipe, feel free to use All-purpose flour, if can't find pastry flour in your local supermarket. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article here
2. Almond: Some Pâte Sablée recipes contain almond, some don't, I prefer mine with almond flour from a taste and texture point of view. Pâte Sablée with almond flour is slightly crispier with some marzipan taste. It is worth buying good quality ground almonds, without skin. Almond can be replaced with pistachio flour, or alternatively, in case of nut allergy, replace it with an equal amount of pastry flour
3. Powdered Sugar: This sweet shortcrust pastry is made with a small amount of icing / powdered sugar that makes the tart case sweet but not overly sweet. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article here
4. Salt: An essential ingredient in most dessert recipes. Balances flavor and enhances other ingredients. This is a sweet-tart dough and I just love that extra very mild salty kick at the end
5. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using high-quality 82% fat content European-style butter in all my recipes. While in most of the recipes butter needs to be at room temperature, this is an exception and you have to take it very seriously. The butter needs to be chilled, which means take the butter out of the fridge, cut it into cubes then place it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before using it
6. Egg: Room temperature as always. Please note that this is not a Vegan pâte sablée recipe and the egg can´t be left out or replaced unless you have the knowledge to totally reformulate the recipe

Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the RECIPE CARD, at the bottom of this page.

For the pistachio ganache

1. Pistachio paste: This Strawberry Pistachio tart will be filled with a delicious and super easy pistachio ganache that is based on a good quality pistachio paste. Check this homemade pistachio butter recipe or purchase 100% pistachio butter. It has a texture like peanut butter, is slightly oily, and has a super deep nutty flavor without being sweet (no added sugar). Please note that the color of the ganache is very much depending on the quality of your pistachio paste, it can go anywhere between dark green, light green, or even a bit brownish.
2. White chocolate: Pistachio ganache is a white chocolate-based ganache that does not taste white chocolate at all. However, the ganache will be as delicious as the quality of the chocolate you are using. Please please please use high-quality products when it comes to chocolate which you would anyway enjoy eating on its own and avoid using “baking chocolate”. I am using Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets) that has high cocoa butter %, tastes amazing, and works wonderfully silky while making ganache
3. Heavy cream: Also known as whipping cream, has a fat content between 36% and 40%, the one I use is usually 36%. Avoid substitutes like vegetable-based “whipping cream”. The cream is often used to make chocolate ganache and makes it wonderfully silky and creamy

Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the RECIPE CARD, at the bottom of this page.

If you love pistachios as much as I do, don´t forget to check out my pistachio desserts collection.

For the topping

1. Fresh strawberry: Use the sweetest freshest strawberries you can access, cut into smaller pieces horizontally. Tip: Grab a few sheets of kitchen towel and gently soak some moisture out from the strawberries after you cut them. In this way, strawberries won´t make the pistachio ganache underneath soggy
2. Pistachio: Finely chopped pistachios
3. make the strawberries "pop-out" visually and also give crunchiness to this Pistachio tart

6 Expert tips about the technique

1. The importance of temperature while making Pâte Sablée

When I started experimenting with baking, I had several disastrous attempts making Pate sablee. Now I understand that the one and only reason I failed was being impatient and forcing the dough even when its temperature was inappropriate.

Baking is science and in general, temperature is one of the most important factors to understand and utilize for our benefit. When I say temperature I don't purely mean baking temperature, but also the environment we work e.g kitchen temperature as well as the dough temperature.

While making the pate sable tart shells for this Pistachio tart, the temperature is everything! If the dough is too warm, it's sticky and can't be rolled out or shaped. If too cold, it will easily break. The entire pastry-making process is a balancing exercise between keeping the dough cold enough, but not too cold.

To give you a concrete example, in a home kitchen environment on a warmer day this practically means taking the dough in and out of the freezer about 10 times in between steps to ensure the dough is always on the right temperature to work with. If you are lucky and have a cold kitchen, you might be ok with 2-5 chilling breaks. Yes, not just to chill the dough once or twice but to be in control of the dough temperature at all times! Obviously in professional kitchens temperature as well as humidity is under control, and the rolling process is done by a laminator machine, however in a home environment remember, this is something we have to be super careful with.

2. What is blind baking and how to avoid it

Baking blind is the process of baking a pie or tart crust without the filling. It's done by lining the tart tin with parchment paper and filling it with eg. pie weights. Frankly, it is not an ideal, professional solution, and while it certainly prevents the crust from puffing up while it bakes, it does not provide even baking. Blind making makes the tart crust somewhat unappealing, full of wrinkles as I call it, and baked unevenly.

My tart shell recipe DOES NOT involve blind baking, instead, I am suggesting using Perforated tart ring and Perforated “air” baking mat for the best results. The recipe, of course, can be made using the traditional blind baking method with pie weights, however, I recommend working with perforated equipment for a neat-looking result. Please see below my Equipment tips for further details.

3. Process of making Pate sablee, sweet shortcrust pastry

Now that we covered the most important factors you have to bear in mind while making Pâte Sablée, let´s see how to make the shortcrust pastry case for the Raspberry tart!

• Make sure all ingredients are measured with Digital scale and prepare all the tools ahead:Rolling pin, Silicone baking mat, Perforated “air” baking mat, Perforated tart ring
• Place the measured butter chunks into the freezer for 5-10 minutes
• Sift together dry ingredients; flour, icing sugar, salt, mix so they are combined properly
• Add very cold butter to dry ingredients and rub the mixture between your hands until it becomes a sand-like consistency. This will take about 3 minutes, make sure you do not spend too much time with this step as butter can easily warm-up and that is something we want to avoid. No need to use a food processor
• Add egg into the mixture and mix with your hands just until the dough comes together. First, it might look crumbly but do not add more wet or dry ingredients to the recipe instead gently knead the dough with the palm of your hand for a minute or two (do not over-knead and do not use a mixer) just until the dough becomes smooth
• If the dough is too warm and sticky, place it into the fridge for 10-15 minutes first. Otherwise, continue with rolling the dough out into 2mm thickness between two Silicone baking mat. The recipe quantity is designed in a way that once you roll the dough out it will reach the silicone baking mat from edge to edge
• Place the dough into the freezer for 10-15 min in between the two Silicone baking mat. Do not remove the mat at this point as the dough might stick to the mat while it is warm and it would break the dough
• Prepare your oven rack with the Perforated “air” baking mat and Perforated tart rings on top
• Take the dough sheet out from the freezer, remove the top of the silicone mat, and using one of the Perforated tart rings, cut out 8 circles – this will be the bottom of your tart crust. Carefully move the dough circles with the help of an Offset spatula and place them into the rings one by one
• If at any point the dough gets too warm to work with, pop it back into the freezer for 5 minutes. You might need to take the dough in and out of the freezer a lot of times but that is fine, don´t try to force the dough while it is warm. It is extremely important to work with a dough that is cold enough to be able to handle (so not sticky) but not too cold which would result in breaking it
• Cut 8 long strips out of the dough, this will be the side of the tart
• Carefully place the strips into the ring one by one. Press each strip onto the side of the rings so it sticks to them. Again make sure you work with a dough that is cold enough but not frozen as that would make it impossible to place it into the tart ring without breaking it
• Place the Perforated tart ring with the pastry dough in them into the freezer for 1 hour
• Pre-heat oven to 160C / 320F
• After 1 hour take the pastry dough with the rings on them out and trim them with a sharp knife
• Bake for 20 min then carefully remove the rings. Once you take the tarts out of the oven wait for a minute or two for the pastry to somewhat contract within the ring then you will be able to easily remove the rings. If the ring seems to be stuck onto your pastry it means probably you will need to bake it for a few more minutes
• Once tart rings are removed, bake the tart cases for another few minutes. The tarts will be ready baked already after a few minutes however if you wish to bake it until golden brown then bake it for another 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet if necessary
• Let the tart shells cool on the Perforated “air” baking mat before filling them with the raspberry ganache

Make sure you read my Pate sablee tutorial for any further details and Troubleshooting.

4. How to make the pistachio ganache

For this Strawberry Pistachio Tart recipe, you will need to prepare a super easy pistachio ganache filling.

Chocolate ganache is literally chocolate and cream mixture with endless uses; cakes, cupcakes, tarts etc. Pistachio ganache is a chocolate ganache with added pistachio paste, so easy and delicious! As usual, the quality of the ingredients will highly impact the end result. While taste is obviously very important, in the case of chocolate the quality goes way beyond taste, good vs poor quality chocolate that can make or break any recipe. I recommend to chose a high-quality brand with high cocoa content chocolate to avoid disappointment.

Regarding the pistachio paste, use 100% pistachio paste that has a lovely green color without added sugar or oils. The pistachio paste will make the ganache beautifully flavourful and colorful, all-natural!

1. Place finely chopped high-quality white chocolate into a bowl, pour pistachio paste on top
2. Heat cream until just simmering. If it’s boiling, the cream is too hot and could burn the chocolate. If it is not warm enough, it won´t melt the chocolate properly
3. Pour warm cream over the white chocolate pistachio paste mixture
4. Let the two sit for a minute then stir or blend together
5. Use the ganache lukewarm to fill the tartlets. The ganache will further set in the fridge as it cools

Note 1: The quantity needed for this Pistachio ganache might vary depending on how thick or thin you make the tart shells. Very thin tart shell requires more filling

Note 2: The color and taste of the pistachio ganache are highly dependent on the quality of the white chocolate and the quality of the pistachio paste. This ganache has a very strong nutty pistachio taste if using the right ingredients!

5. How to assemble this Strawberry Pistachio tart

First, you will make the tart shells then you have to let them cool before filling. Next, make the pistachio ganache then pipe – not hot – ganache into the tart shells. The tarts will need to be refrigerated for the ganache to set for a few hours before decorating.

Once Tartlets are nicely chilled and the ganache has been set, it is time to add the strawberries. I recommend placing the strawberries on top straight before serving.

Once you cut the strawberries, make sure you use a few paper kitchen towels and let them soak some juice out of the strawberries - this is necessary so the pistachio ganache won´t get wet or soggy.

After strawberries are arranged, chop some pistachios finely and sprinkle them all around the strawberries.

And then... totally optional: the edible gold leaves! Really don´t stress too much about it but gold leaves just make everything better in my view!

Voila, your Strawberry Pistachio tarts are ready!

Equipment notes

You can achieve neat, visually appealing, professional-looking tart crust by using professional baking equipment. Luckily these are available to purchase on Amazon not just for professionals, but also for home bakers.

Silicone baking mat

I recommend using 2 Silicone baking mat for rolling the pastry dough out in between them. The recipe is designed in a way that you do not need to add extra flour while rolling the dough however it might stick to your kitchen counter so use a silicone baking mat. It’s also possible to use 2 sheets of parchment paper however the silicone mat provides a much neater, smooth surface. It can be washed and re-used all the time so overall worth the investment. I am using the “Amazon basics” cheapest version, no need to buy anything expensive.

While rolling, start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions. Again remember, the temperature is very important. If the dough is too cold, you won´t be able to roll it out. If too warm, it will be difficult to handle and will even stick to the silicone baking mat. Use your fridge or freezer to control the temperature of the pastry dough at all times.

Perforated baking “air” mat

The Perforated “air” baking mat is perfect for making tart crust, éclairs, or even cookies. Thanks to the holes in the mat, the heat spreads evenly throughout mats’ surface guaranteeing a perfect and even baking without blind baking. The dough won´t puff up while baking the tarts and will be baked super neat.

While baking the tart shells, use the Perforated “air” baking mat straight on top of the oven rack (so not in a baking pan) so that the air can circulate properly. I have been using Perforated “air” baking mat for years from a brand called Silikomart and love it!

Perforated tart ring

The Perforated tart rings are non-stick and stainless, they allow homogeneous baking due to the even air circulation. Silikomart offers rings in various shapes and sizes, I am using an 8cm (3,14inch) diameter round version in this case, however, the recipe can be made in larger rings as well just like this Raspberry Frangipane tart. As far as I can see there are several cheap copies of the initial Silikomart product, I am not sure though whether they are made of the same material and whether they work or not.

Absolutely no need to grease the tart rings when making Pâte Sablée, the dough will stick to its perforated side while baking, and will contract after baked - so the ring can be removed easily. These Perforated tart rings are the best investment I have ever made!

Recipe FAQs

More Tart recipes

Make sure to also check out my Spring Desserts recipe collection!

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Passion fruit & Chocolate tart – If you have not tried pairing passion fruit and chocolate before, you are missing out, they are truly match made in heaven! Silky & rich chocolate ganache meets floral & tropical yet tangy passion fruit curd in this Chocolate Pâte Sablée tart shell!

Coffee tart – This Coffee Tart or Mocha tart recipe is a dream for coffee lovers! Pâte Sablée filled with silky Coffee ganache and decorated with cream that makes it effectively a Cappuccino Tart.

Lemon meringue tart – This Lemon meringue tart recipe is a decorative, individual dessert version of the well know lemon meringue pie. I love everything about this French tartlet recipe! Pâte Sablée sweet shortcrust pastry filled with tangy and creamy lemon curd and topped with sweet and silky Swiss meringue. 

Lemon Blueberry tart - Delicious homemade Pâte Sablée (sweet shortcrust) filled with tangy and creamy lemon curd, decorated with natural color blueberry whipped ganache and loaded with fresh, sweet blueberries.

Strawberry Cream tart with vanilla custard - The Strawberry Cream tart consists of a Pâte Sablée shortcrust pastry filled with silky vanilla custard (pastry cream), topped with a super easy whipped cream and strawberries.