Key to any good dessert is balance of ingredients. Using too much of any component can make any dessert unpleasant to eat. Unless of course if you particularly love a certain component. Take for example this individual Mango tart. The ratio of this light and delicate Breton Shortbread is rather high to the ratio of the Mango cremeux. Some will feel that the balance is lovely while others may prefer more cremeux. Neither is particularly wrong, it is a matter of personal preference. What we certainly all can agree on is that an overly thick and hard tart crust is always unpleasant.
What is nice about this dessert is that it is rather quick to make. The Breton shortbread is pressed or piped into silforms and baked. Once baked and cooled they can be filled with a variety of fillings.
Getting It All Together!
The Breton Shortbread is best baked the day of serving. Certainly the filled silforms can be frozen and defrosted later for bake off. The mango cremeux can be made a day in advance and right before using being mixed using an immersion blender or high speed blender for optimum smoothness.
Breton shortbread | Sable Breton
| 4 oz | Butter, very soft | 120 g | |
| 3 oz | Extra fine granulated sugar | 90 g | |
| ½ tsp | Salt | 2.5 g | |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla bean paste | 5 ml | |
| 2 | Egg yolk | 2 | |
| 5 oz | Pastry flour | 150 g | |
| 2 tsp | Baking powder | 10 g | |
- Cream the butter with the sugar, salt and vanilla paste. Add the egg yolk.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the above. Mix until just combined.
- Either pipe the batter immediately into silicone pans or press the dough into the pans nearly half full.
- Bake at 375°F (180C°) until light golden.
MANGO CREMEUX
If desired add 1.5 oz (45 ml) of Kirsch or light rum in step 5.
| 9 oz | Mango puree | 270 g | |
| 3.5 oz | Eggs | 100 g | |
| 3 oz | Extra fine granulated sugar | 90 g | |
| 2 | Gelatin sheets, bloomed | 2 | |
| 1 oz | Soft butter | 30 g | |
Set up a Bain Marie.
- In a non reactive saucepan heat mango puree to 195°F (90°C).
- In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar very well until no strings remain. Temper the egg mixture with all the heated puree. Place the bowl over the Bain Marie and stir constantly using a rubber spatula to 190°F (87C°). Remove from heat.
- Let cool to 180F (81C) and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Stir and chill over an ice bath to 120°F (50°C). Stir in the butter.
- Once cooled use an immersion blender for optimum smoothness. (add liquor if desired). Pipe into a prebaked tart shell.
This is so wonderful, and it is simply delcious! Great job!
I still eagerly await your blog posts… I’m so intrigued by your ingredient pairings! I think that’s one area where I feel maybe the most deficient and I LOVE seeing the flavors that you match up. This looks so good and so simple, yet still very elegant! I can’t wait to try this out!
Ched Edyy,
Another great way to use shortbreads and add a wonderful Mango flavor element.
Ben Davenport
I love mango and this dessert is just easy to make and so will definitely try this!
Chef Eddy,
Is there a substitute for the vanilla bean paste in the Brenton shortbread?
This looks so delicious and i love how simple but elegant it looks.
It look so good, and so simple, if not in mango season or for people don’t like mango, would I be able to use peach or any fruit instead?
I love the texture of cremeux and I like mango, so in my mind this dessert is already a winner. I would pipe more cremeux on the shortbread than you showed in the picture to have more contrast in texture.