Recipe By Sarah Abitan
This famous French pastry is wildly popular all winter long. See how it looks like a snow-covered hill? The homemade shortbread tart crust is filled with cream, topped with a meringue, and finished off with chestnut cream.
Watch as Sarah puts it all together and makes it look effortless on Sarah's Patisserie!
First, prepare Creme Patisserie (pastry cream). Follow the directions here.
To make Diplomat Cream, combine equal parts creme patisserie and whipped topping.
Follow the directions here to prepare meringues. Using a piping bag with a large tip, pipe a large flat spiral that will fit comfortably inside your shortbread pastry (recipe follows).
Bake at 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius) for two and a half to three hours.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough paddle, add flour, confectioners’ sugar, margarine, and almond flour. Mix together at low speed until a texture like sand is obtained. While the machine is running, add the eggs. Mix until incorporated. Chill dough in the fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 285 degrees Fahrenheit (140 degrees Celsius).
Roll out dough with a rolling pin and fit to a greased, nine-inch tart shell ring mold. Prick holes in the dough and trim excess dough with a knife before baking for a clean edge.
Bake 25 minutes. Cool.
By hand, mix the puree, the paste, and the chestnut cream. Transfer to the mixer and add the honey and the liquid soy cream, then the margarine.
Mix until you get a homogeneous texture.
Generously mound the diplomat cream on the bottom of the pie.
Gently place a crunchy meringue in the middle.
Then, using a piping bag fitted with a nine-hole tip, generously pipe the chestnut cream around and over the meringue, covering it completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
