Recipe: Bill Yosses' Pignoli Tart

Back in the 1990's when we published The NY Food Letter, we asked Bill Yosses, then pastry chef at Bouley, and now the pastry chef at the White House, for a Thanksgiving dessert recipe. He suggested his Pignoli Tart, saying, "It's a nice change from pecan pie." Flavored with an apple compote and pistachio cream, this original creation will make a wonderful finish to your holiday meal.

Note: when shopping for pignoli (pine) nuts, be sure to buy ones that come from Spain or Italy, which are elongated in appearance unlike the squat, more commonly found and less expensive variety from China. There is a big difference in flavor and we never use the inferior ones from China.

This tart is made of four different layers. It can be made one day ahead, in which case you should wrap it well and store it at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, make sure it is tightly wrapped with cellophane paper. Bill recommends that home chefs use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients rather than standard measures. It's just as easy and yields more precise results. We've included both measures.

Makes one 10-inch tart

Pignoli Sable Dough
2 1/4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) pignolis
2 1/4 oz. (or 5/8 cup) confectioner's sugar
5 oz. (or 10 Tbs.) butter
9 oz. (or 2 1/4 cups) cake flour
1 oz. (or 1/8 cup) Sauternes, Malvasia or other sweet wine

Preheat the oven to 375°. Coarsely chop the nuts in a food processor. In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the butter with the sugar and nuts until smooth and creamy. Mix in the flour and then add the wine, little by little until the dough comes together. Using a spatula, spread a 10-inch circle of the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan (or use a 10-inch ring mold). Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the apple compote.

Apple Compote
2 Winesap, Macoun or Golden apples
1 oz (or 1/8 cup + 1 tsp.) granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean

Peel, core and cut each apple into six equal-size pieces and place in a stovetop casserole. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds. In a small saucepan mix together the water, sugar and the vanilla seeds. Bring to a boil, and cook until it becomes syrupy. Pour the mixture over the apples, cover and simmer over a low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until the apples are tender yet still maintaining their shape. Chop the apple mixture until it becomes spreadable. Spread the compote onto the dough and allow to cool.

Pistachio Cream
2 1/4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) shelled pistachio nuts
2 1/4 oz. (or 3/8 cup) granulated sugar
2 1/4 oz. (or 4 1/2 Tbs.) butter
1 egg

Chop the pistachios in a food processor until fine. Incorporate the granulated sugar and then the butter. When the mixture is soft, add the egg. Mix until smooth and spread onto the compote. Bake the tart again for about 15 minutes or until a crust forms on the pistachio cream. Remove to cool.

Pignoli Topping
9 oz (or 2 cups) pignolis
1 oz. (or 2 Tbs.) butter
1 oz (or 1/8 cup) honey
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Lower the oven to 325°. On a low flame, saute the pignolis in the butter, honey and rosemary until golden brown. Remove the sprig and place the nuts over the pistachio cream layer and bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Serving Suggestion:
Reheat the tart to warm it through and serve with vanilla ice cream.