Pistachio, Orange and Cardamom Tart Recipe

This gorgeously green pistachio tart is livened up with fragrant cardamom and sweet orange, resulting in a dessert full of aromatic spiced flavour. This recipe is taken from Moorish by Ben Tish (Bloomsbury, Absolute, £26), which is out now. Photography by Kris Kirkham.

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I like to use the super green Iranian pistachios for this recipe, not only for their vibrant colour but also for their fresh, sweet flavour. The cardamom works beautifully alongside the fresh orange flavour.

Gran Torres is a delicious orange brandy liqueur from Spain that I love to add in desserts for a little kick. If you can’t find it then another dry orange liqueur will do.

220g of plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 pinch of salt
10 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground in a pestle and mortar
140g of unsalted butter, diced
1 egg yolk
goat's yoghurt, to serve
Filling
280g of pistachio nuts, ideally Iranian
180g of blanched almonds
240g of caster sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds, freshly ground
125ml of fresh orange juice
5 egg yolks
1 orange, zested
20ml of Grand Marnier, or ideally Gran Torres Orange Liqueur

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shopping List

First make the pastry. Put the flour, salt and ground cardamom seeds in a food processor and blitz to mix. With the machine running, gradually add the butter, piece by piece, and pulse for a few minutes until reduced to tiny lumps. Mix in the egg yolk. Tip the mix into a bowl and knead together for a few minutes to make a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or so

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use to line a 24cm round, loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the pastry with a fork before placing in the freezer to chill for an hour or so

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line the tart case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 20–25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and has turned a light golden brown. Remove the paper and beans, then set aside to cool. Leave the oven on

For the filling, blitz the nuts, sugar and cardamom in a food processor until fine and smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the orange juice to form a smooth paste. Add 4 of the egg yolks and the orange zest and blitz for a further couple of minutes. Add the liqueur

Spread the filling in the tart case. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top has just set. Lightly beat the remaining egg yolk and brush over the surface. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until glazed. Leave to cool for at least an hour before serving. Top each piece of tart with a dollop of rich, creamy and floral goat’s milk yoghurt

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Ben Tish

Ben Tish is the chef-director of The Stafford London. His latest book, Moorish, celebrates the flavours of Sicily and other parts of the Mediterranean.