Tarte Infiniment Vanille by Pierre Hermé

Instructions

For the pâte sablée
Soften the butter with a spatula.
Add all the ingredients, one by one, following the recipe order.
Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 2 mm thick.
Cut from the dough an 11 inches - 27 cm round disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat fan oven at 340 F - 170°C.
Butter an 8 inches - 21 cm pastry ring, (2 cm in high) and gently ease the dough into the sides of the ring, use your fingertips to press the pastry into the edges and up the wall of the tin.
Using the knife, remove the over hanging pastry.
Place the ring on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover with foil, add rice and bake for 25 minutes.
For the biscuit cuillère
Heat fan oven to 450 F - 230°C.
Sift together flour with potatoes starch.
Whip egg whites with sugar until stiff.
Pour egg yolks in the meringue and whip for a few seconds.
With a rubber spatula, fold in the sifted flours.
Pour the mixture into a pastry bag and on a baking sheet, make a spiral, wide about 5 inches – 13 cm.
Bake for about 6 minutes.
Let cool.
For the vanilla custard
Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 20 minutes.
Bring heavy cream to a boil and infuse vanilla pod for 30 minutes.
Pass the infusion through a strainer.
In a mixing bowl, mix egg yolks with sugar.
Bring heavy cream to a boil and pour over yolks and sugar mixture.
Cook over a medium heat until the mixture reaches 180F - 82°C.
Add wringed gelatin sheets and blend with a hand blender.
Cool quickly and refrigerate.
For the mascarpone and vanilla custard
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese to soften.
Add a small amount of vanilla custard to loosen.
Add the remaining vanilla custard and whip.
Deep in hot water an 8 inches - 20 cm pastry ring.
Pour the mascarpone and vanilla custard in a pastry bag and fill the ring.
Smooth with a spatula.
Remove the ring and freeze.
For the vanilla ganache
Melt chocolate.
Heat heavy cream with vanilla and pods seeds until 125F - 50°C and infuse for 30 minutes.
Remove vanilla pods, bring the cream to a boil with vanilla extract and vanilla powder.
Pour the hot cream over chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula.
Mix with a blender.
For the vanilla syrup
Bring to a boil water and sugar with vanilla pods and seeds and infuse for 30 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and rhum.
Store the syrup in an air-tight box and refrigerate.
For the vanilla glaze
Melt chocolate.
In a small bowl, combine sugar with pectine.
Bring to a boil heavy cream with water, vanilla seeds and pod.
Remove vanilla pod, then add sugar/pectine mixture.
Bring once again to a boil, pour over melted chocolate and mix with a sptula.
Add liposoluble white food colouring and mix with a hand blender.
Use at 95F - 35°C.
To assemble
On the bottom of the sablée shell, pour the vanilla ganache until 3/5.
Brush the biscuit cuillère with vanilla syrup and lay in the center and press a little.
Pour the remaining ganache and refrigerate.
Once the ganache has cooled, place the tart on a plate.
Remove from the freeze the mascarpone custard and place on a rack and glaze.
Lay the glazed disc on the cooled ganache, in the center.
With a tea strainer, dust the left side of the tart with vanilla powder, trying to get a line 1 inch wide.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
You can store the tart 2 days in the fridge.