Kohaku Tart with Grapefruit, Coconut-Mango Mousse & Mint Crémeux – A Refreshing Japanese-French Dessert
Discover the refined Kohaku dessert by Koichi Izumi – featuring a tart base, grapefruit compote, coconut-mango mousse, and mint-infused crémeux. Elegant, fresh, and ideal for spring or summer.This delicate pastry creation, Kohaku (meaning “amber” in Japanese), is a modern entremet that reflects the refined artistry of Chef Koichi Izumi of Asterisque in Tokyo. It combines Japanese citrus (pink grapefruit) with tropical flavors like mango and coconut, all nestled inside a crisp pâte sucrée tart shell. The coconut-mango mousse adds creaminess, while the grapefruit compote and mint crémeux provide a refreshing acidity and depth. Topped with fresh pink grapefruit and Chantilly cream, it’s a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is flavorful — perfect for warm weather menus or elegant pâtisserie showcases.
Servings 4 Mini Cakes
Ingredients
Sweet Tart Shell (Pâte Sucrée) – for ~20 small tarts
- 168 g unsalted butter
- 105 g powdered sugar
- 39 g almond flour
- 3 g fleur de sel
- 38 g egg yolk
- 30 g whole egg
- 282 g cake flour
- 72 g bread flour
Grapefruit Dacquoise
- 21 g granulated sugar
- 12 g powdered egg white Kewpie brand
- 329 g egg whites
- 259 g almond flour
- 259 g powdered sugar
- Zest from ¾ of a grapefruit
Grapefruit Compote
- 43 g fresh grapefruit segments
- 58 g water
- 9 g honey
- 4 g lemon juice
- 34 g granulated sugar
- 1.2 g NH pectin
Coconut-Mango Mousse
- 97 g coconut milk purée
- 100 g mango purée
- 10 g silver gelatin sheets
- 36 g sour cream
- 11 g diced fresh mango
- 237 g heavy cream 35%
- 107 g granulated sugar
- 32 g water
- 53 g egg whites
Grapefruit-Mint Crémeux
- 127 g pink grapefruit purée
- 36 g egg yolks
- 48 g whole egg
- 32 g granulated sugar
- 3 g silver gelatin sheets
- 48 g unsalted butter
- 2 g fresh mint
Decoration & Assembly
- Fresh pink grapefruit
- Neutral glaze nappage
- Chantilly cream
- Edible gold leaf optional
Instructions
Sweet Tart Shell (Pâte Sucrée)
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter at around 20°C until smooth and pomade-like.
- Add the powdered sugar, almond flour, and fleur de sel. Mix gently until well incorporated.
- Gradually add the egg yolk (around 10°C), then the whole egg, mixing until emulsified.
- Sift both flours together and add to the mixture. Blend until fully combined.
- Wrap the dough and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator.
- Roll out to 2mm thickness and line 7cm tart rings. Chill or freeze before baking.
Grapefruit Dacquoise
- Mix the granulated sugar with powdered egg white thoroughly.
- Add the sugar mixture to the egg whites and whip into a firm meringue. Add grapefruit zest and mix gently.
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together. Fold into the meringue.
- Spread the mixture onto a baking tray, dust with powdered sugar, and bake at 170°C for about 20 minutes.
- Cool, then cut into 4 cm diameter circles.
Grapefruit Compote
- Combine sugar and NH pectin in a small bowl.
- In a saucepan, heat grapefruit, water, honey, and lemon juice to 50°C, then remove from heat.
- Whisk in the pectin-sugar mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
- Cook until it reaches 52° Brix. Set aside to cool.
Coconut-Mango Mousse
- Warm one-third of the coconut purée to 50°C and dissolve the softened gelatin in it.
- Add the remaining cold coconut and mango purée, mix well.
- Add sour cream and diced mango. Emulsify with a stick blender.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and chill.
- Cook the sugar and water to 117°C. Pour over whipped egg whites while beating to create Italian meringue.
- Fold whipped cream into the fruit mixture, then gently fold in the meringue.
- Pipe into Pavoni dome molds, filling halfway. Add a small portion of grapefruit compote and place a dacquoise disk. Top off with more mousse and freeze.
Grapefruit-Mint Crémeux
- Heat the pink grapefruit purée to 50°C.
- In a bowl, mix egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar. Temper with warm purée.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches 82°C.
- Remove from heat, add gelatin, and strain.
- Cool to around 35°C, then add soft butter and chopped mint. Emulsify with a stick blender.
- Chill until set.
Assembly (Montage)
- Unmold frozen mousse domes. Optionally, apply a neutral glaze or gold leaf for shine and elegance.
- Fill tart shells with a few fresh pink grapefruit segments.
- Pipe a ring of Chantilly cream around the edge.
- Place the mousse dome in the center and fix it with a little cream.
- Garnish with additional Chantilly, grapefruit, mint leaves, and gold leaf as desired.
