Midnight Sea Buckthorn &...Midnight Sea Buckthorn & Smoked Hay Ganache Tart

An avant-garde dessert featuring a crisp charcoal-infused sablé, a bright sea buckthorn curd, and a velvet dark chocolate ganache cold-infused with toasted meadow hay.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the charcoal sablé: Pulse flour, charcoal powder, and powdered sugar in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until sandy. Add egg yolks and pulse until a dough forms. Chill for 1 hour.

2. 02

   Roll out the dough to 3mm thickness and line 8 individual tart rings. Blind bake at 170°C (340°F) for 15 minutes, then remove weights and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely.

3. 03

   For the sea buckthorn curd: Whisk puree, granulated sugar, and whole eggs in a bain-marie over simmering water. Stir constantly until thickened (82°C). Strain through a fine chinois and pour a thin layer into the tart shells. Chill until set.

4. 04

   Infuse the cream: Toast the hay in a dry pan until fragrant. Bring cream to a simmer, add the hay, cover, and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, re-weighing to ensure you have 150ml (add a splash of fresh cream if needed).

5. 05

   Make the ganache: Reheat the hay-infused cream to a simmer and pour over the chopped dark chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then emulsify with a spatula starting from the center. Stir in a pinch of smoked salt.

6. 06

   Final Assembly: Pour the warm ganache over the set sea buckthorn layer. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours for a perfect gloss. Garnish with a single sea buckthorn berry and a gold leaf flake.