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Matcha Pom Tart

This most delicious Matcha Tart is paired with heavenly Pomelo Curd. The tart and tangy pomelo curd complements the rich bittersweet matcha perfectly. Try it, I believe you will be a convert 😊 
Level of difficulty: Easy
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Dessert
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Kai

Ingredients

Tart crust

  • 1 1/4 cup cake flour
  • 1 tsp teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup powdered or icing sugar
  • 140 g cold unsalted butter (cubed)

Pomelo Curd

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed pomelo juice (pith removed)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest (optional)
  • 50 g unsalted butter

Matcha Ganache

  • 1 cup white chocolate chip
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp matcha powder

Assembly

  • 3 tbsp pomelo curd
  • pomelo bits (optional)
  • matcha ganache
  • raspberries
  • whipped cream
  • matcha powder for dusting

Instructions

Tart Crust

  • Lightly butter, or using baking spray, grease two 25x10cm rectangular tart pans with removable bottoms.
  • In the food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to combine (~ 5sec). Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps.
  • Divide equally and transfer the pastry to the prepared pans and using your fingers, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Gently pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. This is to prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.
  • Cover the tart crust with cling wrap and place it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes to firm up. This helps to prevent the crust from shrinking excessively while it bakes.
  • Preheat oven to 220C. Place the frozen tart shells on a larger baking tray and bake at the lowest rack for ~15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool. Once cooled, un-mould from pan and chill in the fridge whilst making the filling.

Pomelo Curd

  • In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, pomelo juice, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.
  • Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (Bain-Marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly until mixture becomes thick ~10 minutes.
  • Check your thermometer. Heat to about 170F/75C to cook the eggs. Remove from heat and add the unsalted butter. Whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth.
  • Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface (to prevent a skin from forming). Set aside to cool.

Matcha Ganache

  • Over a Bain Marie, dissolve the matcha powder in the heavy cream. Once fully dissolved, heat the matcha cream till it just bubbles.
  • Take off heat and pour over the white chocolate chips. Stir briskly until the white chocolate is completely melted and the matcha ganache is smooth with no lumps. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

  • Layer on 3 tbsp of pomelo curd unto each tart shell. Add bits of pomelo on the curd to give more texture.
  • Layer the cooled matcha ganache on top of the pomelo curd, filling it up to just a line below the top of the tart shell (do not overfill). Freeze for ~ 30 minutes to set the ganache.
  • Decorate with raspberries or whipped cream. If decorating with whipped cream, sprinkle a little matcha powder to give that extra bittersweet flavor and beautiful matcha color. Chill for at least two hours to set the ganache and fuse the flavours. Enjoy 😊

Video

Notes

  • Pomelo Curd
I used pomelo but you can substitute grapefruit or yuzu which are in the same fruit family. Pomelo is more easily available in my part of the world and inexpensive. I also prefer pomelo to grapefruit as the latter tends to have a bitter aftertaste (to me) even after removing the pith.
I always enjoy peeling pomelo. I find it satisfying and oddly therapeutic. Peeling the pomelo is most easily done when the fruit is de-skinned and the segments, quartered. Watch the video at 1.48min and see how easy it is.
As with all curds using raw eggs, heat your curd mixture to at least 170°F/ 75°C to cook the eggs. The pomelo curd is a great make-ahead and takes just 10 minutes on the stove. It stores well and can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to a month. Just thaw it in the fridge for an hour or two before use. 
  • Tart Crust
Work quickly when handling the tart pastry and always use COLD, COLD, COLD butter. I used a food processor to blitz the flour, sugar and butter until it forms small clumps. If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture. It will take a bit longer but should achieve the same result. Alternatively, if both are not handy, use a fork. I wouldn't however, recommend using our hands for this part as they transmit heat and we want to keep the butter very cold.
Allow sufficient freezing time for the tart shells to firm up before baking. Some recipes of tart pastry advocate blind baking. I don't find it necessary for this recipe. If the tart pastry is gently poked with the tines of a fork and frozen before baking,  there is no need for blind baking.
* Blind baking or pre-baking is baking the tart crust (without any filling), weighed down with a sheet of parchment paper filled with dry beans or baking weights on top of the crust. This is to prevent puffing of the pastry during baking.
I made the tarts shells in two 25cmx10cm rectangular tart pans with removable bottoms. I highly recommend removable bottoms as they make it so easy to un-mould the tart shell. Click here if you are looking for a similar tart pan. This tart pastry recipe can also be made into a 1x20cm round tart shell using a round tart pan.
Be extra careful handling the tart shells once un-moulded. Shortcrust pastry is crumbly and trust me, a chipped tart shell spoils even the prettiest looking tart. Therefore I always use a palette knife to hold the bottom when moving the tart. 
This tart crust pastry is a good make ahead. Once moulded into the tart pan, it can be kept frozen in a ziplock bag for up to a week before use. And bake it frozen, straight from the freezer to the hot oven. 
  • Matcha Ganache
Dissolve the matcha powder well. Make sure there are no matcha lumps in the cream before pouring the hot cream over the white chocolate chips. Matcha powder is bitter and if undissolved, it would be extremely bitter should one bite into a pocket of powdery matcha in the tart.