Pistachio, Rose, and Strawberry Tartlet

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One of the Christmas gifts I was most excited to receive was a pastry kit from Bake On with everything I needed to make pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlets! Let me walk you through the pros and cons of one of these baking kits, plus my review of these mini tarts.

This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission as an Amazon Associate (or other affiliate program) from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products that I use and trust.

This post was originally published on January 25, 2024.  It was republished on July 25, 2024 with updates.

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Update

I first published this post in January of 2024. Since then, Bake On has closed up shop and no longer sells their baking kits. It’s a real bummer because they had so many amazing options! Since the recipes are no longer available online, I typed up my own and added it to the bottom of this post. Unfortunately, I do not have links to the exact tools that came in the kit, but you can find similar items on Amazon.

A Bit of Clarity

Before I dive right in, let me take a second to clarify something. I do not receive any compensation from Bake On for writing this review, nor will I receive anything if you choose to buy one for yourself. The kit was gifted to me by my family, not the company. 

Overall, I was really happy with this kit from Bake On. The pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlets were beautiful and delicious! That being said, I didn’t love everything, so let’s dive in and chat about it. 

Before Baking

As soon as I got my Bake On kit, I was so excited to rip it open and get started. The packaging looked great and I love how the ingredients for every step are packaged together and labeled so clearly. 

Not only that, each step in the recipe booklet tells you how long you can wait before moving on to the next step. I loved this detail! The pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlet kit involves making six different elements, plus assembly, and takes a good chunk of time. I broke the steps up over several days to make it more manageable.

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Step 1: Strawberry Coulis

You will need about a pound of strawberries for this step, but you’ll need more for assembly as well. I missed that detail. My bad! It’s not strawberry season at the moment, so my berries weren’t as sweet and juicy as I’d like. I think using frozen strawberries would work as well, as long as you reduce the mixture enough.

If you’d like a video depicting this step, check out my blueberry tart video. While it is blueberries instead of strawberries, I used this coulis recipe as the template, so the technique is the same.

Step 2: Pistachio Pate Sucree

The instructions say to roll the dough out to ⅛”, which should be about the size of the included parchment paper. This was not the case. At ⅛”, the dough was on the thicker side, and I almost didn’t have enough surface area for the five tart rings.

I rolled out my second portion of dough to 1/16” and this worked better. It was still thicker than the video showed, and did not create as much surface area. However, I was able to cut out enough long strips to create the tartlet sides.

Since my pate sucree was thicc, I baked my pistachio tartlets for nearly 30 minutes. I wanted to make sure they were completely baked and crisp! There was also a ton of leftover dough. I used less than half of it for the tartlet shells. I wrapped that up and popped it in the freezer. Eventually I’ll use it to make another tart. 

For a video that covers how to make the dough and line these tart rings, watch my blueberry tart video. That recipe is slightly different because I used almond flour instead of pistachio, but the technique is the same. I even used the dough in a different style of tartlet pan to see how well that would work.

Step 3: Rose Mousse

When I added the rose water to the sugar to bring to a boil, I ran into an issue. The rose water seemed to evaporate instead of boiling. I had to add a splash of water to dissolve the sugar and then bring to a boil. Plus, the rose water was so strong it was burning my eyes!

The rose flavor was way too intense for my tastes. Once everything is together, it is more balanced. However, instead of using 2 tablespoons of rose water, I would stick to 1- 2 teaspoons max.

Related Reading: Honey, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Tart

Step 4: Pistachio Creme Mousseline

I was so excited to work with a whole vanilla bean pod for the first time! Unfortunately, mine was so dried out and brittle that it shattered when I tried to slice it open. However, I was able to scrape enough seeds out of the splinters, so flavor wise nothing was hindered.

Due to my schedule, I decided to make the custard a day in advance and kept it in the fridge overnight. This gave it plenty of time to cool down before mixing it with the butter and pistachio paste. If you do this, just be sure to let the custard come back to room temperature before adding it to the butter.

Related Reading: Bake On Kit Review: Chocolate Coffee Dome Entremet

Step 5: Pistachio Crunch

I had never made caramel before, so I was both excited and petrified about this step. It took the sugar about 20 minutes to caramelize. Watching the video for this step gave me a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, my favorite spatula is now permanently discolored. That’s totes on me though.

Blending up the pistachio praline takes a long time. I wanted to get it down to a pistachio butter consistency. I came close, but didn’t have enough patience. Once it is mixed with the white chocolate, it is a dreamy, creamy texture. And the feuilletine! So crisp and crunchy!

What is feuilletine? Basically a really, really thin crepe that is baked and then broken into flakes. It stays crisp in oil based mixtures like chocolate.

Step 6: Mirror Glaze

I’ve always wanted to try a mirror glaze! It was very simple to mix up the glaze. The most important step is not to use the mirror glaze until it has cooled down enough. While the recipe booklet says 90℉ – 93℉, I found that to be a bit warm. Shoot for 90℉.

If the glaze is too warm, wait for it to cool. And if it is too cold and gloopy, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. Using a thermometer really helps. Check out the chocolate coffee dome entremet to read about my second attempt at a mirror glaze!

Assembly

Up until this point, everything was comin’ up roses and I was feeling like a pastry master! With my glaze at the right temperature, I went to pop out my molded rose mousse with the strawberry coulis center. And it came out in pieces.

I was shocked (they’d been frozen for a few days) and upset, but I figured I had nothing to lose at this point. Every single mousse stone came out damaged. I figured I could use the mirror glaze to smooth them out.

My glaze was a little warm, so it went on thin. To compensate, I ended up adding multiple layers of the glaze. Most of them looked decent, but a few were still lumpy. I put them in the fridge while I filled the tartlets.

Layer Up

The pistachio crunch layer is delicious, but a little tricky to spread. I warmed it up for a few seconds in the microwave just to make it looser. Since I was out of strawberries, I had to skip that layer and went straight to the pistachio creme mousseline. I ended up with a lot of leftover mousseline, so that went into the freezer as well.

Once filled, I used a couple of palette knives to transfer my glazed mouse rounds to the tartlet shells. Getting them perfectly centered is tricky and when I removed my knives, sometimes the glaze would pull away too. I used a toothpick to tuck the glaze back around the mousse and gently shift them to the center.

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Decorating the Tartlet

The pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlet baking kit provides you with just enough pistachios for decorating. Chop them up to a nice medium (think lentils) size and gently press them onto the sides of the tart. This covers up any ugliness on the mousse rounds, and hides the creme mousseline for a flawless finish.

The dried rose petals add a pretty little touch. If you have any flaws on top of your mirror glaze, use the petals to hide them! I don’t like eating the roses, so I actually removed them before chowing down. They were essential for masking any flaws and helped showcase the flavor.

Related Reading: Rose Chai Cupcakes with Pistachio Cream Filling

Would I Recommend the Pistachio, Rose, and Strawberry Tartlet Bake On Kit?

I would absolutely recommend the pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlet Bake On kit! With one small caveat. This “pastry school in a box” is best suited for intermediate and advanced home bakers. Beginner bakers may find these tartlets to be too difficult or overwhelming. 

Pros

The reason I love this baking kit so much is that it does a fantastic job of taking a very complex, multistep recipe and breaking it down into manageable chunks that does not overwhelm a home baker who wants to learn a new skill.

Cons

Without a doubt, the rose flavor in the mousse is too overpowering, though that is my only complaint flavorwise. I was also pretty bummed that my vanilla bean was so dried out. The Bake On kits are also a bit expensive.

Is the Bake On Kit Worth the Price?

At $125 a kit, these are not cheap! It is probably too expensive for most bakers to purchase just for funsies, but I added mine to my Christmas list and made it very known how badly I wanted a kit. 

The baking kit includes all of the ingredients, the specialty tools, and a handy recipe booklet. Jenn, the creator of Bake On, chose high quality ingredients and tools to put into this box. You could absolutely source the same ingredients and tools, but could easily end up spending more, or ending up with cheaper quality items.

I would never have had the confidence or knowledge on how to make something as fancy as a pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlet on my own. Taking all of this into consideration, I do feel that the value matches the cost.

Tools I Had at Home

You will need some common baking tools in order to make these mini tarts. If you are an avid home baker, you almost definitely have everything you need already. Here are the tools from my own kitchen that I used:

• Saucepans
• Sieve
• Mixing bowls
• Smaller Pyrex bowls
• Cutting boards
• Glass measuring cups
• Thermometer
• Stand mixer
• Rolling pin (mine has guides)
• Baking sheet
• Silicone baking mat
• Hand mixer
• Measuring spoons
• Mini food processor
• Spatula
• Small offset spatula
• Palette knife

Enjoy!

I was so excited to make this pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlet kit from Bake On and it did not disappoint. The kit guided me through numerous new skills and tasted exquisite.

If you have any questions about this recipe, leave me a comment down below. I’ll do my best to answer it based on my own experience with these mini tarts.

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Pistachio, Rose, and Strawberry Tartlet

Pistachio tart shell filled with a pistachio crunch and pistachio creme mousseline, then topped with rose mousse filled with strawberry coulis and covered in a white chocolate mirror glaze.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Berries, Custard, Mousse, Nuts, Pastry, Pistachio, Rose, strawberry, tart

Prep Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Chill Time 5 hours hours

Total Time 9 hours hours

Servings 6 tartlets

Calories 482kcal

Ingredients

Strawberry Coulis

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• 400 g fresh strawberries halved
• 75 g sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Pistachio Pate Sucree

• 113 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 70 g powdered sugar sifted
• 1 egg
• 60 g pistachio flour
• Pinch of salt
• 230 g all purpose flour

Rose Mousse

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp rose water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsps water
• 60 g whole milk
• 50 g ruby chocolate chopped
• 50 g white chocolate chopped
• 125 g heavy cream cold

Pistachio Creme Mousseline

• 250 g whole milk
• 75 g sugar
• 16 g cornstarch
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 113 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 75 g pistachio paste

Pistachio Crunch

• 50 g sugar
• 50 g pistachios
• 50 g white chocolate chopped
• 25 g feuilletine flakes

White Chocolate Mirror Glaze

• 2 Tbsps unflavored gelatin
• 80 g cold water (6 Tbsps)
• 120 g water
• 175 g sugar
• 165 g condensed milk
• 200 g white chocolate chopped
• 3 drops rose pink gel color

Assembly

• 50 g pistachios chopped
• 1 Tbsp dried rose petals

Instructions

Strawberry Coulis

• Combine the gelatin and water in a small bowl. Mix well to ensure there are no lumps. Set aside to bloom.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook on a medium low heat for several minutes to prevent the sugar from burning. Gradually increase the heat to medium high.
• Bring the mixture just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Stir constantly and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. The mixture should be thickened, most of the strawberries should be mush, and it should be glossy.
• Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the strawberry mixture until smooth. Pour throw a sieve into a bowl. Push all of the liquid and juices out of the sieve, discard the pulp.
• Add the bloomed gelatin to the hot strawberry sauce. Stir until the gelatin has melted completely. At this point, the mixture should be warm, but not very hot.
• Place a 1.5" silicone half sphere mold on a tray and make sure there is a flat surface in your freezer where you can fit the tray and mold. Pour the strawberry mixture (a measuring cup with a spout helps) into the mold, filling each nearly to the top.
• Place the mold in the freezer to set for 2 hours.

  You can move on to the pistachio pate sucree now, or wait until later. The coulis can stay in the freezer for up to a week. Simply wrap the mold up once they are solid to avoid freezer burn.

Pistachio Pate Sucree

• Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a medium low speed until smooth.
• Scrape the bowl down and add the egg. Mix on a low speed just until the egg starts to incorporate, but is not fully combined.
• Scrape the bowl down. Add the pistachio flour and salt to the stand mixer. Beat on a medium low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl down.
• Add the flour and beat on low until only just combined. A few streaks of flour okay. If needed, finish mixing the dough by hand with a spatula.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap them in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 10- 15 minutes.
• Place one portion of dough in between two sheets or parchment paper. Roll the dough out to 2mm (1/16 in), or slightly thinner. Place the dough (still between the paper) flat in the freezer. Repeat this step with the other portion of dough.
• Freeze the two dough sheets for 20- 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 315℉. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Take out one portion of the frozen dough out of the freezer and remove the top layer of the paper. Use a tart ring to cut out 5 circles. With the help of a small offset spatula, remove each circle of dough from the parchment paper and line a tart ring on the prepared baking sheet.
• Gently press any dough scraps together, wrap in cling wrap, and chill in the fridge. Place the baking sheet in the fridge while you work with the next portion of dough.
• Take out the second portion of the frozen dough out of the freezer and remove the top layer of the paper. Cut the dough into strips that are long enough to line the tart rings (about 10 inches) and wide enough to be taller than the tart ring (about 1 inch).
• Take the baking sheet with the tart rings out of the fridge. Working quickly and carefully, use a small offset spatula to remove a strip of dough from the paper and line the inside of the tart ring. Gently press the two pieces of dough together to seal the seam together.
• Gently press any dough scraps together, wrap in cling wrap, and chill in the fridge. Place the baking sheet back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Double check that the tart dough is adhered to the sides of the tart ring and the seam is sealed. Use a sharp knife to trim off the excess dough that extends above the ring. Gently press any dough scraps together, wrap in cling wrap, and chill in the fridge.
• Use a fork to poke a bunch of small holes in the bottom of the tart. This will prevent the tart shell from puffing up when they bake.
• Place the baking sheet in the fridge again for 15 minutes.
• Bake until a light golden brown, about 30 minutes. If your dough ended up thinner than mine, you could need as little as 20 minutes, and if it's thicker it could take 35 minutes. Keep an eye on the tart shells.
• Once baked, cool 15 minutes before removing the tart rings. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. If not using within the hour, place the tart shells in an airtight container for up to a day before filling.

Rose Mousse

• Do not begin this step until the strawberry coulis inserts are frozen solid. Check by popping one out of the mold. If it comes out easily, you are good to proceed with the mousse.
• Place a stone shaped silicone mold on a small tray that will fit in the freezer. This tray will take the same flat area the coulis is currently taking up in the freezer, so no need to make more space.
• Combine the gelatin and cold water and ensure there are no lumps. Set aside to bloom.
• In a small saucepan, combine the rose water, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir and place over medium heat. Boil for about 2 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve, but you don't want it to caramelize.
• Add the whole milk to the saucepan and bring back to a boil.
• Meanwhile, place the white and ruby chocolate in a heatproof bowl. When ready, pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for about 30 seconds, then whisk until the chocolate has melted completely. Set aside for now.
• In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks with a whisk or electric hand mixer. If you want a stronger rose flavor, you could add a half teaspoon more here, but it is not necessary.
• Fold the chocolate mixture and whipped cream together. There should be no streaks left. Pour the mousse into a large piping bag.
• Snip a half inch off the bottom of the piping bag and fill the stone mold most of the way full. Take a strawberry coulis insert out of the freezer and gently press the rounded side into the mousse. Pipe more mousse over the insert to cover it completely. Repeat with the remaining mousse and coulis inserts. Smooth the tops of the mold with a small spatula when you're finished.

  (You will only have enough mousse for 6 or 7 molds, so don't fill them all at once.)
• Chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours, but up to 3 days at the most.

Pistachio Creme Mousseline

• Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil.

  (If using a vanilla bean, split and scrape out the seeds. Add it with the milk. If using extract or paste, we'll add the vanilla later.)
• Meanwhile, in a heat proof bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch until well combined. When the milk is nearly at a boil, add the egg and egg yolks to the sugar mixture. Whisk until well combined.
• Pour the hot milk into the sugar and egg mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Once all of the milk has been added and well combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Cook the custard over a medium- low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and it hits 175℉ - 180℉.
• Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla (if using extract or paste), then press cling wrap onto the surface of the custard. Cool to room temperature, then cover and place in the fridge until set (or overnight).
• Take the set custard out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before continuing the recipe.
• Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on a medium- speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
• Add the custard to the stand mixer and beat until well combined. Scrape the bowl down.
• Add the pistachio paste to the mixture and beat until smooth and well combined. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
• Pour the pistachio creme mousseline into a bowl, cover, and chill until needed.

Pistachio Crunch

• Before making the caramel, make sure your work area is prepared. Have a silicone mat on a baking sheet on the counter ready for you to pour the molten caramel on top.
• Place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the edges of the sugar start to melt, use a spatula to gently pull in the edges of the sugar so that it melts and caramelizes evenly. Continue to cook and stir until you have a rich golden shade.
• Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the pistachios so they are coated with the caramel. Pour the nuts and caramel mixture onto the silicone baking mat. Let it cool completely.
• Transfer the hardened pistachio praline chunks to a food processor. Blend until you have a paste. This will take 7- 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down as needed. You can go for a slightly chunkier consistency if you want.
• Microwave the white chocolate until completely melted. About 30- 45 seconds on half power. Stop and stir every 20 seconds to prevent burning. Combine the pistachio paste mixture with the melted white chocolate and stir until well incorporated.
• Add the feuilletine flakes and gently fold together. Store this pistachio crunch mixture in a covered container at room temperature until ready to assemble the tarts.

White Chocolate Mirror Glaze

• Do not begin this step until the rose mousse stones are frozen solid. Check by popping one out of the mold. If it comes out easily, you are good to proceed with the glaze.

  (Note: Mine did not pop out of the molds cleanly, even after days in the freezer. It is a bit tricky.)
• In a small bowl, combine the gelatin with the cold water (80g or 6 Tbsps) and stir until there are no lumps. Set aside to bloom.
• In a saucepan, combine the water (120g), sugar, and condensed milk. Place over medium heat and bring to a bare simmer. Do not boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Mix well so that all of the gelatin dissolves.
• Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture through a sieve and into the bowl. Let the chocolate and hot liquid sit for 30 seconds. Stir until well combined and the chocolate is completely melted.
• Add the rose pink gel color and stir to combine. Add more color if you prefer a darker pink.
• Transfer the glaze to a measuring cup with a spout or a paper/ plastic cup that you can easily use to pour the glaze. Let the glaze cool about 20- 30 minutes, or until it is between 90℉ - 93℉. It should feel lukewarm. The consistency will be thick, but still runny.

Mirror Glaze Application

• Cover a baking sheet with plastic wrap to catch the drips. Place 5 small cups or bowl upside down on the covered sheet.
• Leave the mousse in the freezer until you are ready to glaze and work with one mousse stone at a time to prevent melting. Have a flat tray or plate ready to transfer the glazed mousse stones later.
• Pop a mousse stone out of the molds and place on one of the upside down cups on the baking sheet. Hold the container of glaze a few inches above the mousse stone and begin pouring onto the center of the round. Spiral the glaze out towards the edge of the stone. Allow the excess to drip off. If there are any areas that need more glaze, go back and add a little more.
• Once the glaze has stopped dripping and is no longer running, use a small offset spatula or knife to tidy up the drips hanging off the edge of the stone.
• Repeat with the remaining mousse stones. Carefully transfer the glazed mousse to a flat plate or tray and place in the fridge while you immediately move on to assembling the tartlets.

Assembly

• Take a pistachio tartlet shell and spoon a thin layer of the pistachio crunch mixture into the bottom. Spread into an even layer.
• Place the pistachio creme mousseline in a piping bag and snip the bottom half inch of the bag off. Fill the tart shell the rest of the way with the mousseline. If desired, you can smooth off the top with an offset spatula.
• With a small offset spatula, carefully transfer a glazed mousse stone onto the center of the mousseline filled tartlet.
• Gently press chopped pistachios onto the side of the glazed stone. This will cover up any imperfections and conceal the creme mousseline underneath.
• Top the glazed mousse with a few dried rose petals.
• Repeat this process with all of the tartlets. Place them in the fridge to thaw for 20- 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

• You will have extras for most of the elements in this recipe. If you double the mousse portion, you may have enough to make 12 complete tartlets.
• Please read through the entire blog post for detailed notes.
• You should be able to make about 6 or 7 tartlets.