If I’m ever asked what my FAVORITE recipe from the MasterChef Kitchen is, I’d say “Wintery Tart”. More than just being a winner recipe, it has been a blessing for me. It is that first recipe I made as a result of a Mystery Box challenge when we were in bootcamp (top 30) and got me the first apron (with my name on it) to enter the top 12, from where started the real journey.

If at all you’re curious to know what was in that Mystery Box, we had carrots, cinnamon, strawberries, pineapple, lentils and purple yam. In addition, we had a support pantry with basics such as flours, sugars, ginger, garlic and dairy.

                       It was an honor to demonstrate this recipe with Chef Ranveer Brar in the week’s                                                                        MasterChef Extraclass episode @ Holiday Inn, Mumbai

Wintery Tart

For the Tart Pastry:
90 grams unsalted butter
1-tablespoon oil
3-tablespoons water
1-tablespoon sugar
1/8-teaspoon salt (skip if using salted butter)
150 grams plain flour

1) In a saucepan, heat together butter, oil, water, sugar and salt until the butter melts completely and the mixture is bubbling.
2) Turn off the heat and dump in all the flour at once. Mix quickly just until soft and smooth dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
3) Using a spatula, evenly spread the dough out and up the sides of an 8” loose-bottomed (preferred) tart pan.
4) Prick the pastry all over using a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes in an oven preheated to 190ºC/375ºF.
5) Remove from oven and let it cool completely before filling.

For the Carrot Ginger Rice Custard:
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice flour

1) Boil together the roughly chopped carrots and ginger until tender. Blend them to make a purée.
2) In a saucepan, heat together the milk and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the rice flour with some additional milk to form thin smooth slurry.
4) Slowly add this slurry to the hot milk while whisking continuously and vigorously.
5) Continue stirring and cooking the custard until it thickens significantly.
6) Lastly, turn off the heat and mix in the carrot and ginger purée.
7) Pour out the custard into a bowl, and cover with saran wrap touching the surface of the custard. Refrigerate to cool completely.

For the Pan-roasted Cinnamon Pineapple:
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup sugar (or depending on the natural sugars of the pineapple)
1 inch stick cinnamon, freshly ground

1) Place the chopped pineapple and sugar in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat.
2) Cook until the pineapple is nicely roasted with a crusty golden hue.
3) Add ground cinnamon and cook for another minute. Grind the mixture in a small mixer jar.
4) Set aside to cool.

For the Strawberry Purée:
4 fresh strawberries
1-teaspoon confectioner’s sugar

1) Blend the strawberries with sugar.
2) Strain the mixture.

For garnish:
Carrot juliennes
Fresh pineapple wedges
Ground cinnamon

To Assemble the Tart:
1) Evenly spread the pan-roasted cinnamon pineapple on the bottom of the cooled tart pastry.
2) Spread the carrot ginger rice custard over the pineapple layer. Smoothen the top using a palette knife.
3) Refrigerate the tart until the filling is set well.
4) Brush a strip of strawberry purée on the bottom of a plate. Place a slice of the tart on top, garnish with carrot juliennes, pineapple wedges and ground cinnamon.
5) Serve.

Serves 6.