Page 284 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

Mont Pelier Tartlets

MAKES 10
(4- /10- )

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Somehow, a winding pile of soft brown nut strands hardly stands a
chance of embodying the white-capped, craggy stone grandeur of

Mont Blanc. Instead of recreating the Alpine spire delicacy, I’ve
turned my sights to my home state of Vermont in an attempt to honor
her mountain’s majesty in pastry as the French have done—but I
think I have an easier task than my European colleagues. Our fair
state is known for her green mountains, and that’s easy enough to
recreate with my all-time favorite nut, the pistachio. So I’m happy to
say that the Mont Pelier, named after our state capital, is both highly

representative of our lovely peaks and also delicious!
This recipe will make more than the ten meringues required for the
Mont Pelier. I usually end up with fourteen or fifteen. Take advantage
of this and pipe all the meringue into pretty mounds. You’ll find that
not every mountain of meringue is equal—a couple will be lopsided,
and a couple will be squat. This way, you can pick and choose! I also

use the uglier piles as testers, pulling them out of the oven to check
for doneness. It’s win-win all around.