White Mountains (French Mont Blanc)

A decadent chestnut dessert topped with caramelised nuts reminiscent of Le Mont Blanc (white mountain) which is the highest mountain in the Alps. It first became popular in Italy and then France and beyond. There are many variations, but overall, there is some sort of tart as a base, then the top has a hard meringue or whipped cream dome/cone surrounded in a piped chestnut purée that resembles a nest. This recipe calls for a frangipane tart as the base, with a whipped cream and black cherry jam center, surrounded in the classic chestnut purée.

Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough):
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup confectioners' sugar
⅛ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
1½ cups pastry flour, spooned into measuring cup

Frangipane (Almond Cream) Filling:
8 oz almond paste
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup pastry or cake flour
2 eggs

Stabilized Whipping Cream:
6 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup confectioners' sugar
2 pkgs or 6 sheets gelatin
½ cup water

Chestnut Purée:
3¼ cup shelled chestnuts (26 oz)
1 vanilla bean
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup water

Filling:
1 cup black cherry jam

Garnish:
carmelized chestnut
gold leaves
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4) and place 6 tart rings on lined cookie sheet.

Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough):
Beat butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon and vanilla together until smooth and pale in colour. Add egg and mix in fully. With a spatula, gently mix in flour until just incorporated (don't overmix).

Form dough with hands into round disk, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Remove dough from fridge, let rest about 15 minutes, then roll out until about 1/8" thick.

Using your 5" circle cutter, cut out 6 circles. Place circles over 3.5" rings and gently press into, then trim overhang.

If you haven't already, prepare almond cream, then fill tarts ¾ way full (it will rise/expand as it bakes)

Bake for about 25 minutes of until tester comes out clean.

Set aside to cool completely.

Frangipane (Almond Cream) Filling:
Beat almond paste and sugar until completely combined, then beat in butter and flour. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

Stabilized Whipping Cream:
Bloom gelatin in about 2 Tbsp. of cold water, then add to small pot over medium heat with ½ cup of water. Heat until gelatin has dissolved, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Beat heavy whipping cream with whisk attachment until soft peaks form, mix in powdered sugar, then pour gelatin in a thin stream with mixer on low until fully incorporated.

Cover and place in refrigerator until final assembly.

Chestnut Purée:
If you bought chestnut puree, you can skip the next three steps

Place chestnuts and vanilla bean in a medium-large pot and cover with water.

Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and continue heating for 25-30 minutes.

Drain water and pour chestnuts into food processor and grind until the consistency is something like playdoh.

Then in food processor or mixer, add maple syrup an water to thin - you need a consistency that will allow you to pipe the mixture, so feel free to test a small amount before adding more water.

Final Assembly:
Decorating can be as complicated as you want, but here is what I did.

Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag, cut a small hole and/or fit with a large circle tip like a Wilton 2A, then fill with whipped cream.

Fit the other pastry bag with the Mont Blanc tip (#233) or a smaller circle tip, then fill with chestnut purée.

Take one cooled tart and pipe a circle around the outer edge and then fill the center of the circle with a dollop of jam.

Then pipe a cone shape or dome shape of whipped cream to cover.

Take your pastry bag of chestnut puree and pipe a layer over the whipped cream. It is easiest to use a decorators turntable, but I did not have one and used a record player.

I also did not really like the way the traditional tip looked, so I took a serrated knife and formed the chestnut puree pictured (see video).

A simple dome works too, no need to be as percise as I did.

Then top with garnish and dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 6 tarts.

Cook's Notes: You can make the tarts a day ahead and then prepare the whipped cream and chestnut puree the day you will assemble. Best to serve within a few hours and do the final garnish and dusting right before serving.