Lulu planted jujube trees 3 years ago and they didn't produce much fruit until this year. A jujube (also called Chinese date) is a little date-sized fruit that has a sweet smell and a flavor reminiscent of apples. In Asia, legend says that the scent of jujubes makes people fall in love. They are also a sign of fertility.
The fruits are so much more flavorful and sweet than the ones from our local market. In Vietnam, jujubes are eaten fresh as a snack. The girls have been going back and forth to the garden to pick the fruits from the trees. The crop is so huge this year; each branch holds at least 2 dozen jujubes. We've been asking friends and family to take some home, but we still had more, so I decided to try and make a dessert with some jujubes.
The texture of the fresh fruit is very similar to apples, so I adapted my tarte amandine and made it with walnuts and jujube instead. For a nice glossy look, I drizzled date syrup over the jujube tarts. It was the first time I tested the recipe and it worked wonderfully.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon anise extract
1 teaspoon canola oil
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 whole eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon imitation brandy extract
2/3 cup granulated sugar, to taste
1-2/3 cups walnut powder (see tips), 5 ounces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 dozen jujubes
1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup pure date syrup, warm
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
For the walnut pastry dough:
In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. In another bowl, place the powdered sugar. Sift all the dry ingredients, separately.
Using a handheld mixer, whisk 1 whole egg with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until you get a pale, yellow foam. It'll take about 5-6 minutes. The consistency must be very airy. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and the anise extracts. Stir well using a spatula. Set aside.
Lightly oil the bowl of your food processor with a silicone brush. Add the flour, 4 tablespoons walnut powder, salt and remaining powdered sugar. Blend for a few seconds, then add 10 tablespoons of cold butter. Pulse the mixture until it forms crumbs of butter and flour. Add the egg mixture. Pulse another 3-4 times until it forms a dough. Do NOT over-mix. Transfer the dough onto a pastry board lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Place a silicone mat (or parchment paper) on top of the dough like a sandwich. Even out the dough using a rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thick. Place the dough in 12 individual non-stick tart molds previously buttered (or in 2 9-inch pie pans). Prick the dough with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator.
For the walnut cream:
Using a handheld mixer, whisk 2 eggs with about 1/4 cup of sugar until you get a pale, yellow foam. It'll take about 5-6 minutes. The consistency should be very airy. Add the remaining vanilla and brandy extracts. Set aside.
Cream 8 tablespoons of butter (at room temperature) with the remaining sugar. Pour in the egg mixture. Add the remaining walnut powder. Mix until the batter is smooth.
Assembly time:
Wash the jujubes, cut them in 6 wedges (no need to peel them). Transfer to a bowl. Coat each piece with lemon juice. (Sprinkle granulated sugar if the fruits aren't sweet enough, althought these didn't require it). Toss well.
Place about 2 tablespoons of walnut cream in the center of each tart shell. Top with about 2 jujubes (12 wedges). Place the jujube tartlets on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F for another 25 minutes.
In a bowl, dissolve the date syrup with about 1-1/2 tablespoons of water. Warm the syrup in the microwave.
Before glazing the tartlets, broil for about 2-3 minutes to get a nice golden crust. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle each tartlet with 1 tablespoon of warm date syrup, for a nice glossy look.
Let the tartlets cool for a few minutes. Remove the shells from the molds. You can serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of masala chai.
Bon appétit!
Tips
FYI: 1 cup of butter = 16 tablespoons = 2 sticks of butter.
The whiter the fresh jujubes are the sweeter. You can also ripen the fruits by putting them together with a banana in a paper lunch bag. If you wait longer, the color will turn into a rich red. You can also buy dried jujubes at any Asian store, they'll have a brownish red color.
You can either buy ready-made walnut powder, or make it yourself. Remember to get a little more than 5 ounces of whole walnuts to get the correct amount of powder. Grind the roasted* walnuts with a food processor or spice grinder. Make sure you stop before it turns into walnut butter. I use the VitaMix Dry Blade Container. The result should be a fine mill.
I think it's best to make the walnut dough a day in advance. Store it in the refrigerator overnight. The dough will be easier to roll and won't be crumbly.
Rolling the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper (or silicon mats) eliminates the need for extra flour on the rolling surface, which can change the texture of the dough.
For easy clean-up and removal of the tarts from the molds, I like to line the molds with parchment paper prior to placing the dough.
A little reminder on how to roast nuts*: To release all the flavor and oil of the nuts, I like to roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 325°F before using them. The only nuts that I dry roast on the stove are pine nuts. They are smaller, cook more quickly and are much easier to watch and manipulate on the stove top.
I use McCormick anise extract. If you don't have any, you can use star anise seeds,. Dry roast them and grind them finely in a mortar and pestle.
I diluted the date syrup with 1-1/2 tablespoons of water (if you fancy some Brandy flavor, add a drop of brandy extract). I bought date syrup at my local market, but you can also find it online. You can also use it in baklava and other Asian and Middle Eastern desserts.
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About Jackie
Hi! My name is Jacqueline Pham and I am a self-taught home cook based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am French-Vietnamese, born and raised in Paris, France. I live with my husband Lulu and his family.
My hubby's family is from India, so our home is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines with all the rewards and challenges that you can imagine. There are vegetarians, meat-lovers and allergies of every kind. This site is a way for me to share my love of food and interact with all you Femme Fatales out there putting food on the table for your loved ones everyday.
