Rich and creamy matcha panna cotta tartlets with flaky pie crust and matcha sweet cream filling.
Spring has finally come. I can see the flowers are blooming at their best while taking a walk around our apartments. After taking a long rest during winter, everything is budding and growing again, including our soul. I took some branches along with me on the way back to bring spring vibes to our little house. Nothing screams spring better than flowers, I think!
I enjoy making chilled desserts, especially when the weather is getting warmer. Panna cotta has been one of my favorite desserts that when I make it, I will make a huge batch to serve the next few days. Today, we will bring the classic panna cotta to a higher level: flavored it with matcha and serve it in a mini tart shell.
I use tartlets, a form of mini tart for individual serving; however, you can make it an 8-inch tart if you prefer to. For the filling, I use my vanilla panna cotta as a base and flavor with matcha green tea powder. The combination of heavy cream and whole milk makes the panna cotta creamy and light, plus it helps balance out the pungent tones of the matcha powder. I recommend you pour matcha panna cotta mixture after the tart shells cool down completely, so the shell won’t be soggy. Chill these tartlets in the fridge for at least 4 hours, until the filling is set but still wobbly. You can serve them with whatever you like, from fresh fruits, ice cream to sauce or just serve them by themselves.
More Matcha Recipe:
Matcha Panna Cotta Tartlets
Ingredients
For Tart Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113g/1 stick) very cold unsalted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (60ml) ice water, using 1 tablespoon at a time
For Matcha Panna Cotta Filling
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 packet (10.5g) unflavored gelatin powder, or use 3 gelatin sheets* read my note
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make Tart Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until combined (If you don’t have a food processor, you can do the whole process by hand in a mixing bowl). Add cold butter cubes and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Add cold water and pulse a few times to combine, adding more water as needed, one tablespoon at a time and keep pulsing until the dough starts to form. The dough at this time should be quite crumbly but still can hold together when you pinch it with your fingers. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed.
- Divide into 4 equal sized balls of dough. I use a kitchen scale for this. On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out each piece (one at a time) into a circle approximately 4-5 inch (10-12 cm) in diameter. Line 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms with the rolled-out dough, then press the dough tightly against the sides and bottoms of each pan to firm it, creating a ¼-inch thick tart crust each pan. Poke each tart all over with a fork 2 or 3 times.
- Place all of the tart pans on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the tart crusts just turn golden. Remove the tartlets from the oven and let them cool completely.
Make Matcha Panna Cotta Filling
- Place water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Make sure not to pile it as that will prevent the crystals from forming. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes to soften.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, pour heavy cream, milk, sugar, matcha powder and vanilla extract and whisk until the sugar dissolves completely. Bring the mixture to just barely simmering, do not boil. Remove from heat, then add gelatin to the cream mixture and whisk constantly until the mixture cools down a bit.
- In another bowl, strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Distribute the matcha panna cotta between the tart pans, filling each pan about 3/4 with the panna cotta mixture. Place the pans in the fridge and allow to chill until the panna cotta layer is set.
- Serve the tartlets with fruit, sauce or any toppings you like. These matcha panna cotta tartlets will keep, covered well, for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Notes
No Comments