Honey, Pecan and Macadamia Tart

The New Year holidays in Israel are my favorite holidays, this new beginning excites me every time. I remember myself taking bus number 23 to the Hadar neighborhood and standing for hours in front of the greeting card stand on Hanevi’Im Street, thinking on which card to send to which relative or friend. Growing up it was the individual honey cakes I made for each of my friends, I loved those pre-holiday moments so much.

Gusts of autumn wind accompanied the preparations and smells of cooking rose from the houses, there was something in the combination of our neighborhood, the commercial center, the arguments about where the Rosh Hashana dinner would take place, a unique period that I still remember very well.

In the last few days, you can feel the winds of change in Paris. The morning chill is wonderful and in different places you can already see autumn leaves. It’s not quite autumn yet, but you can already smell it, and even in Paris this weather is the clearest sign for me of Rosh Hashanah.

So I decided to bring some holiday atmosphere to the apartment and baked a fantastic and not-too-complicated tart that’s filled with honey custard with roasted macadamia and pecan nuts. A beautiful combination of flavors and textures with a deep honey aroma and Fleur-de-Sel touch.

This honey tart is wonderful for Rosh Hashanah as its sweetness will stay with you all year long, at least.

Honey, Pecan and Macadamia Tart
ring mold 20-22 cm in diameter, 5 cm height

Ingredients

Pastry Dough:
140g cold butter, cubed
250g all-purpose flour
3g baking powder
80g confectioners’ sugar
25g almond meal
A pinch of salt
70g eggs (1 big egg)
A pinch of chopped fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Honey Custard Filling:
120g butter, melted
100g Muscovado sugar or brown sugar
60g almond meal or hazelnut meal
8g Fleur-de-Sel
A pinch of chopped fresh thyme leaves (optional)
250g honey, I use Lavender or Acacia honey
180g eggs
125g Crème fraîche

200g a mixture of macadamia and pecan nuts, roasted and coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Pastry Dough: Put all the dough ingredients, except the egg, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse a few times until you get a sandy texture.
2. Add the egg and pulse a few times, stop before it forms a complete ball, some crumbs are okay. It’s best to work with the dough as little as possible.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean surface and form into a flat rectangle. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
4. Remove from the fridge, and roll out the dough to a thickness of 4-5 mm.
5. Line the ring with the dough, making sure that the sides are fully filled in and straight. Using a knife, gently trim the overhanging edges. Refrigerate for 1 more hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
7. Line a parchment paper over the tart. Fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for around 12-14 minutes. Remove from the oven, then carefully remove the weights and the parchment paper, and return to oven for another 3-4 minutes until golden. Remove the baked crust from the oven and cool on a rack.
8. Honey Custard Filling: Whisk together all the filling ingredients, except the nuts, until well combined.
9. Place the nuts on the crust then pour the filling into the crust.
10. Bake at the same temp’ ,170 degrees Celsius, for 50-60 minutes, (depending on the oven), until the filling is firm to the touch and the nuts are caramelized. Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature.
*Allow to rest for at least half a day before serving.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon