Page 281 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

the bottom loses its raw-dough sheen—it shouldn’t be at all
browned. Set the crust aside.

Procedure for the filling
1

. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown
sugar and stir until it is melted and there are no more sugar lumps.
Add the maple syrup, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir until just
combined.

2
. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Ladle a small portion of the hot
sugar syrup into the eggs, whisking all the while. This tempers the
eggs, bringing their temperature closer to that of the sugar syrup
and preventing them from scrambling. Pour the egg mixture into

the saucepan, stirring constantly. Add the hazelnuts and stir
vigorously.
3

. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake it for 20 to 30 minutes, or
until the filling is set. Allow the tart to cool completely.

Assembly
1
. To make the caramel-coated hazelnuts, fill a large bowl with ice
and set it aside. Lay a sheet of parchment out on the counter.

2
. Prepare the caramel as instructed on page 36. After finishing step
2, transfer the pot directly from the heat to the bowl of ice to cool it
quickly (don’t let any ice or water jump into the pot with the

caramel).
3

. Before the caramel sets, add the whole hazelnuts to the pot and
stir gently. Remove the hazelnuts one by one with a clean pair of
tweezers (I have a pair dedicated to kitchen use) and place them
on the parchment so that they do not touch. Let them sit until they
have cooled and hardened, then arrange them decoratively on top
of the tart.