Black sesame and blackcurrant gluten-free tart

Instructions

Gluten-free black sesame and hazelnut shortcrust pastry

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine flour, starch, butter, hazelnut flour, white sesame flour (obtained by grinding 16 of roasted white sesame into an almost fine powder), icing sugar and salt and work until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. In a small bowl combine together almond milk and black sesame butter and mix until smooth. Add this mix to the stand mixer and beat on low speed until a dough is formed.
3. Once the pastry has come together, press into a neat flat square and cover in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a micro-perforated baking tray with micro-perforated silicone mat. Grease generously with butter a stainless-steel cake ring of Ø 19cm x h 4 cm and place it onto the prepared baking tray. Cut out a strip of 5 cm high from a micro-perforated silicone mat. Insert this strip into the ring to fully cover the edges of the ring. The strip will exceed about 1 cm in height the cake ring, that's okay. The micro-perforated silicone strip helps the shortcrust pastry "to cling" to the ring while it is baking. And besides, the tart will be easier to remove from the ring once it is baked. 
5. Roll the chilled shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to approximately 2-3 mm in thickness, adding flour when needed so it doesn't stick.
6. Cut out the rolled pastry with the cake ring to obtain the base. Place the pastry base onto the prepared baking tray. Cut out a pastry strip and line the side of the ring, ensuring that the pastry strip stick well to the micro-perforate silicone strip. Join the two ends of the pastry strip and, if needed, trim some of the excess pastry that is overhanging the side of the ring, using a knife. Place the ring over the pastry base, so that the pastry base is perfectly inside the ring and ensuring that the edges of the pastry base stick well to the pastry sides. 
7. Freeze the tart for at least 1h. It is not necessary to prick the pastry base with a fork before baking.
8. Line the frozen and unbaked tart shell with heatproof plastic wrap and fill it firmly to the top with uncooked rice (any type of legume or cereal also works well). Bring the sides of the wrap together at the top like a parcel, so it will be easier to remove.
9. Put the tart in the oven, reduce the temperature at 150°C and pre-baked for about 20-25 minutes. Remove the rice and bake for a further 15-20 minutes at 160°C to finish baking.
10. Remove the tart from the oven and dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) while it is still hot. This prevents the pastry to get soggy. Allow to cool down completely before removing both the ring and the micro-perforated silicone strips. Do not worry if you don't have the cocoa butter powder, because the baked and cooled tart will be covered with a thin chocolate layer (see below).
11. Melt some Bahibé 46% milk chocolate (or the milk chocolate of choice) in the microwave to 45°C. Brush the melted chocolate all over the base and the sides of the baked pastry shell, into a thin layer. The chocolate makes a barrier which prevents the pastry from moisture, as making the tart even crispier and tastier. Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature or in the fridge eventually.

Gluten-free black sesame and hazelnut financier

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a perforated baking tray with silicone baking mat. Wrap both the external edges and the bottom of a 20x20 stainless steel frame with a sheet of aluminium foil. The foil should come up over the edges of the frame. This will assure that no batter escapes from the bottom of the frame during baking.
2. Make the brown butter (the beurre noisette). Place the pieces of butter into a saucepan and let melt over medium heat. Don't stir the butter, it is not needed. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle. In about 6-7 minutes from when you started, the butter will turn golden brown. The foam will slightly dissolve and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan will toast and get brown. The butter should also smell intensely nutty and caramelized.
3. Once the butter is ready, remove the saucepan from the heat and filter the butter through a cheese cloth, previously placed into a stainless steel sieve, to remove the brown milk solids that are formed at the bottom of the saucepan.
4. Add the black sesame paste and the acacia honey to the brown butter and stir with a spatula to combine. Set the bowl aside to cool down to 45 ̊C.
5. In a bowl sift icing sugar, starch, cocoa powder and charcoal powder. Add hazelnuts flour, black sesame flour (obtained by finely grinding 35 g black sesame seeds with a spice grinder) and salt and combine with a fine whisk.
6. Add the egg whites and mix until obtain a smooth batter.
7. Add the mix of brown butter-black sesame butter to the egg whites batter and stir with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.
8. Pour the financier into the mould and bake for 25 minutes, until it is puffed and firmed to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting a circle with a Ø 16 cake ring. I suggest to put the financier in the freezer for 1h before cutting, so it is easier and better to cut.
9. Place the financier circle in the tart.

Light white chocolate and blackcurrant ganache

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
2. Heat the heavy cream (A) with blackcurrant puree and honey without boiling, then add the soaked gelatin sheets and stir to dissolve.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Add the warm liquids to the melted chocolate in 3 times, while stirring with the spatula at each addition of liquid, in order to obtain a smooth and homogeneous ganache. 
4. Transfer the ganache into a mixing glass and emulsify with an hand blender to stabilize the emulsion and to make a smoother and shinier ganache. Add the natural food colorings and blend once again. Pour the ganache into a bowl and allow to cool down to 40°C.
5. Semi-whip the 116 g cold heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Check the temperature of the blackcurrant ganache: when it is 40°C add the semi-whipped cream to the ganache in 2-3 times, folding gently with a rubber spatula in order to obtain a light, smooth and shiny ganache.
6. Pour the light ganache over the financier, leaving about 1,5 cm space from the high for the white chocolate and blackcurrant crémeux. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Crème anglaise 

1. Place egg yolks and cane sugar in a bowl and whisk everything together using a fine whisk. In a saucepan brings to simmer the almond milk with the heavy cream. Add the hot liquids to the yolks in 3 times while whisking constantly with a fine whisk. Place everything back into the saucepan and reheat to 82-85°C, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula over low to medium heat.
   A method for determining the doneness is to look closely just as the custard's consistency. When you start stirring, you will see lots of tiny bubbles on the surface of the crème anglaise. But as soon as it is done, these bubbles disappear and they are replaced with ticker and silky waves. The crème anglaise is also done when you can make a line on the rubber spatula with your finger.  
2. Filter the crème anglaise and weigh 150 g. Make the crémeux (recipe below).

White chocolate and blackcurrant crémeux

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water. 
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Heat together the blackcurrant puree with honey in the microwave, without boiling.
3. Add the soaked gelatin sheets to the 150 g of crème anglaise and stir with a rubber spatula until it is dissolved. Add the warm blackcurrant puree and honey to the crème anglaise and stir.
4. Add the blackcurrant crème anglaise to the melted chocolate in 3 times, while stirring with the spatula at each addition of liquid, in order to obtain a smooth, fluid and homogeneous crémeux. 
5. Transfer the crémeux into a mixing glass and mix with an hand blender to stabilize the emulsion and to make a smoother, shinier and silky-smooth crémeux.
6. Cover the firmed and chilled ganache with the crémeux to reach the top of the tart and chill overnight.

Assembly and decoration

Garnish the tart with Ruby chocolate macaron, chocolate small squares and edible flowers.