Introduction
This recipe is fairly challenging, but worth the effort. It can all be made in one day if you start early, but it’s easiest done over two days. The pastry cream, cherry compote, and dough aren’t too difficult to make. The assembly is the difficult part because the dough is incredibly tough to work with. It’s fairly fragile and warms up quickly – it feels like working with a frosting. Nonetheless, much of this can be mitigated by strategic chilling. Keep your cool and work patiently. The final product is delicious.
Recipe Outline
| Recipe: Gâteau Basque | Special Equipment: Stand Mixer, 9-inch Removable Bottom Tart Pan |
| Source: Dessert Person | Time: 1 day |
| Author: Claire Saffitz | Difficulty: 4/5 |
| Type: Dessert (Baking) | Score: ★★★★★ |
Making The Pastry Cream
Tip: Make sure to have everything planned out in advance! Memorize the steps ahead of time.
Making The Cherry Compote
Tip 1: It will get quieter as it thickens. Don’t worry, it’ll solidify further in the fridge.
Tip 2: You can use a store bought option instead. It’ll save time and lead to a more even layer in the pastry. However, we found the texture and taste of the whole cherries from making the compote ourselves superb. If you can, make your own.
Making And Dough
Tip: The dough is very fragile – almost like a frosting.
Assembling The Pastry
Tip 1: The key is to keep things cool. If the pastry ever gets hard to work with simply put it back in the fridge for 5 minutes (or the freezer for 2). Consider chilling the tart pan beforehand to help. If you aren’t working with a piece of dough, keep it in the fridge
Tip 2: For the bottom layer, break the dough into 3 pieces and gradually press them out. Anchor each to a wall/edge. Afterwards, take a pass with a chilled, floured 0.5 cup measure and press down to smooth out thin spots from pressing. Reapply flour liberally.
Baking The Pastry
Final Product
Key Takeaways
- Make this recipe over two days for a more leisurely process.
- Be strategic with keeping the dough cold while working with it.
- Ideally, make the cherry compote yourself.
- Keep in mind the tart takes a very long time to cool. After a while it can be put in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Final Score: 5/5 – This is a great way to practice french pastry. It’s a lot of effort, but it really pays off with this one.
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